In the UK, their quarry can be partridge or grouse, pheasant, ptarmigan, blackgame, snipe or woodcock as all these birds try to avoid predators by hiding rather than flying away.

During the 1920s, dedicated breeders managed to revive interest and restore the Irish Red and White setter to a viable position.

The function of setters is to find and locate game by quartering ground as it searches for the scent carried in the wind by birds such as grouse, partridge, pheasant or snipe.

The dog's head will remain raised as it savours the airborne scent and it intently stares in the direction of where the birds are hiding.

[3][4][5] The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) classify the breed in Group 7 (Pointing dogs), Section 2 (British and Irish Pointers and Setters).

[14] Other owners recorded at this time included Reverend Mahon of Castlegar, Yelverton O'Keefe, Maurice Nugent O'Connor and Miss Lidwell whose name was sometimes misspelt as Ledwich.

[11] Upon returning from the Great War, Irish clergyman Noble Huston attempted a revival of the breed,[15] but despite this, numbers on the island of Ireland remained small.

[16] Partly through the endeavours of the Irish Red and White Setter Field & Show Society, which was formed in 1981, the breed became well established and received national and international recognition.

Irish Red and White Setters successfully compete in conformation shows and field trials, attaining champions in both disciplines.

[20] It is likely that the revived generations of Irish Red and White Setters descend from a puppy bitch Cuddy nursed to health in 1940.

[18] By the 1980s, Irish Red and White Setters were being imported into Great Britain, where the breed was developed more as a show dog.

Interest in Great Britain had particularly been revived after Alan and Ann Gormley from Dublin exhibited an Irish Red and White at Crufts in 1980.

Harlequin did prove he could work while young, but an error with the paperwork meant his qualifying test at a field trial was never correctly recorded.

[21] Harlequin was sired by Glenkeen Sandy whose grandfather was Sulhamstead Natty D'Or, a field trial dog bred by Florence Nagle.

[22] The breed was little known in Britain and the Kennel Club had inadvertently listed Harlequin's Crufts entry among the Irish Setters.

[24] From 1 January 2009, the Irish Red and White Setter was fully recognised by the American Kennel Club (AKC), and was eligible to compete in conformation and all other competitive fields.

It is listed by the Kennel Club in the UK as a Vulnerable Native Breed, due to registration numbers of less than 300 per year.

[15][26] The Irish Red and White Setter should have an aristocratic, well proportioned, balanced appearance yet still be strong and powerful without lumber or coarseness.

The face, feet, front and lower hind legs are allowed some mottling or flecking but it must not extend to other areas of the body coat.

[27] No specific height or weight is given in the Kennel Club breed standard[30] but males can be up to 27 inches (69 cm) and weigh around 70 lb (32 kg).

[36] These are: Because of breeders' proactive approach, in the UK the number of affected dogs have been kept low and CLAD and vWD are "virtually unheard of in the breed today".

Among the extra requirements is "Ensuring that the parents of each litter are readily identifiable by either Microchip, Tattoo or DNA profile.

"[44] As at March 2013, breeders of Irish Red and White Setters who are members of the ABS must continue to use screening systems for eye testings and DNA checks for vWD and CLAD.