Editing Irish Setter (section)

==History==
[[File:George Garrard - Ranger, a setter, the property of Elizabeth Gray - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|The Irish Setter, in the beginning, was not identical to the breed today. The solid red colouring came about by selective breeding practices. Ranger, a Red Setter, the property of  Elizabeth Gray in 1797.]]
 
One of the first references to the 'Setter,' or setting dog, in literature can be found in Caius's ''De Canibus Britannicis'', which was published in 1570 (with a revised version published in 1576).  Translated from the original Latin, the text reads:
{{blockquote|The Dogge called the Setter, in Latine, Index: Another sort of Dogges be there, serviceable for fowling, making no noise either with foote or with tongue, whiles they follow the game.  They attend diligently upon their Master and frame their condition to such beckes, motions and gestures, as it shall please him to exhibite and make, either going forward, drawing backeward, inclinding to the right hand, or yealding toward the left.  When he hath founde the byrde, he keepeth sure and fast silence, he stayeth his steppes and will proceed no further, and weth a close, covert watching eye, layeth his belly to the grounde and so creepth forward like a worme.  When he approaches neere to the place where the byrde is, he layes him downe, and with a marcke of his pawes, betrayeth the place of the byrdes last abode, whereby it is supposed that this kind of dogge is calles in Index, Setter, being in deede a name most consonant and agreeable to his quality."<ref name="Gardner">Gardner, E. ''Irish Setters Today''; Ringpress Books Pty Ltd, 1998.</ref>}}

It would be incorrect to assume the dog described above in any way resembles the Irish Setter (or any setter) as we know the breed today. Caius was referring to a type of setting spaniel, most likely now extinct. The description of the work undertaken by this early pillar of the breed resembles the working behaviour of modern Irish Setters. Of this early dog, Caius went on to write: "The most part of theyre skinnes are white, and if they are marcked with any spottes, they are commonly red, and somewhat great therewithall." If this is the case, it is safe to assume the solid red colouring of today's Irish Setter came about by selective breeding practices.

Further reference to setters in early literature can be found in ''[[The Country Farme]]'' by Richard Surflet and [[Gervase Markham]], published in 1616.  They wrote: "There is also another sort of land spannyels which are called Setters."<ref name="Gardner" />

It is clear that, by the early 18th Century, the type of dog known as the 'setter' had come into its own right. It is also clear the Irish had begun actively breeding their own type. For example, the de Freyne family of French Park began keeping detailed stud records in 1793. Other prominent landed Irish gentry also known to have been breeding setter lines at the same time include Lord Clancarty, Lord Dillon, and the Marquis of Waterford.

It was noted as early as 1845 that setters in Ireland were predominantly either red, or, according to Youatt,<ref name="Gardner" /> "...very red, or red and white, or lemon coloured, or white patched with deep chestnut." Clearly, the preference for a solid red-coloured dog was having an effect on the appearance of the typical Irish-bred setter.

The breed standard for the modern Irish Setter was first drawn up by the Irish Red Setter Club in [[Dublin]] and approved on 29 March 1886. It consisted of a 100-point scale, with a given number of points awarded for each of the dog's physical attributes. The points system was later dropped; however, aside from some minor changes, the standard remains largely unchanged today in most countries where the breed is formally recognised.

<gallery mode=packed widths="200px" heights="180px" perrow="5" caption="History">
File:Irish Setter circa 1881.jpg|Irish Setter, 1881
File:Uchermann-karl-christian-1855-irish-setter-with-a-duck.jpg|Irish Setter with a duck, 1855 
File:1879 IrishSetter Don HBokelmann.jpg|Irish Setter in 1879
File:Irish Setter from 1915.JPG|Irish Setter circa 1915
</gallery>