Irish Red and White Setter · Sporting Group
The Irish Red and White Setter Wall
The wall is forming · Be among the first families to add yours
Those who have crossed
Rusty
March 2012 – September 2024
The red patches on white — distinctive, beautiful, the original Irish setter coat
Example
Flannery
July 2013 – January 2025
The point — frozen in the field, every muscle visible, the original hunting setter at work
Example
Clover
January 2014 – August 2025
The enthusiasm — mid-play, mid-run, mid-life, always in motion
Example
Paddy
October 2012 – April 2024
The feathered coat against green grass — red and white and Irish in every outdoor photo
Example
Saoirse
June 2013 – November 2024
The family — always present, always involved, the setter who couldn't be left out of anything
Example
Pages marked 'example' are demonstration bridges showing what a memorial looks like — not real families. The small lines beneath each are examples of what Memory Weather surfaces over time.
Remembrance
Irish Red and White Setters are remembered for the coat — the original. Before the all-red Irish Setter became fashionable, this was the Irish setter: red patches on a pearl-white base, visible across fields, beautiful in motion, and distinctive enough to stop strangers in their tracks. They nearly disappeared when the red variety eclipsed them, and every IRWS that exists today carries the weight of a breed that almost didn't survive.
They were enthusiastic, athletic, devoted, and absolutely committed to being part of everything. An IRWS did not observe from the sidelines. They were in the middle of the action — hunting, playing, greeting, investigating — with a joy that was characteristically Irish: warm, loud, and impossible to ignore. That specific red-and-white whirlwind of enthusiasm is what families grieve.
“Every time we walked her, someone asked if she was a 'broken' Irish Setter. She wasn't broken. She was the original. And she was magnificent.”
What to remember
When you create a bridge, these prompts help you hold the details that matter most — the ones that fade first.
What was the coat like — the specific pattern of red on white, the way it moved in the field, the way it made them visible from any distance?
How did they hunt — the point, the drive, the moment the setter instinct took over and everything else disappeared?
What was their best 'I will not be left out' moment — the investigation, the insertion, the absolute refusal to be a bystander?
How did you explain the breed — the 'no, not an Irish Setter' conversation, the history, the near-extinction and the survival?
What did strangers notice first — the coat, the energy, the confusion about which setter breed this was, or the fact that this dog was clearly running the show?
When you were quiet, did the enthusiasm bank — did the whirlwind slow to something gentle, the original setter pressing close with a warmth that matched the red patches?
Words that stayed
“Red patches on pearl white, feathered legs moving through Irish-green grass — the original setter, the nearly-lost breed, restored and running and more beautiful than the version that replaced her.”
physical
“He inserted himself into a family photo he was not invited to by appearing at full speed from the left side of the frame. The photographer used the photo. It was the best one.”
funny
“The coat is gone — the specific red-on-white that made strangers stop and ask and argue about which setter breed this was. The argument is over. The coat that started it is gone.”
absence
“She was the original, not the copy. The Irish Red and White came first, nearly vanished, and came back. She carried the weight of that survival with an enthusiasm that honored every dog that didn't make it.”
character
“Thirteen years. Thirteen years of the original Irish setter — the one that nearly disappeared, the one that came back, the one that ran through our lives like the breed's second chance.”
time
The math
Irish Red and White Setters typically live 11–15 years.
Hip dysplasia is a common concern. Posterior polar cataract is a breed-specific eye condition requiring screening. Von Willebrand's disease affects blood clotting. CLAD — canine leucocyte adhesion deficiency — is a serious genetic immune condition that responsible breeders screen for. The breed's overall health is good when properly tested, and their relatively long lifespan for a medium-large breed means the senior years can be generous.
If your IRWS is in their senior years, this is the right time to start their bridge — while the red-and-white coat is still here and the specific memories are still sharp.
Start their bridge now →The shape of this loss
Irish Red and White Setter families grieve the original. Before the all-red Irish Setter became the world's darling, the Red and White was the Irish setter — the working dog, the field companion, the beautiful red-patched athlete. The breed nearly vanished. Every IRWS that lived and loved and hunted was a recovery from that near-extinction. Losing one carries the weight of the breed's history.
The rarity intensifies the loss. Most people have never seen an IRWS. The explaining — 'no, not an Irish Setter,' the history, the near-extinction story — was constant and became part of the bond. You were not just an owner. You were an ambassador for a breed that almost didn't survive. The ambassador role is harder without the dog.
The original Irish setter went home. The field is quieter, and the red-on-white that was always visible from any distance has disappeared.
The original Irish setter went home. The field is quieter, and the red-on-white that was always visible from any distance has disappeared.
Memory Weather
How a bridge deepens with timeOver time, WenderBridge surfaces patterns already present in the photos and memories you choose to keep here.
Your IRWS's photos reveal the coat — red patches on white, distinctive, visible from any distance, the original setter pattern.
Memory Weather notices the enthusiasm. The motion blur, the mid-action captures, the dog who was never standing still in any photograph.
The field. If there are hunting or outdoor photos, the working setter appears — pointing, running, doing what the breed was built for centuries to do.
Memory Weather is available with Full settings.
Questions families ask
Add your IRWS to the wall
Every Irish Red and White Setter who carried the original setter coat, the breed's near-extinction survival story, and an enthusiasm that honored every dog that didn't make it deserves a permanent place on the wall. Their bridge is free to create, free to visit, and always here.
Celebrating a living IRWS?
If your Irish Red and White Setter is currently inserting themselves into something they weren't invited to with their red-on-white coat flashing and their enthusiasm at full volume, WenderPets has the sculptures and gifts made for that exact original, magnificent, nearly-lost setter.
WenderPets →Irish Red and White Setter bridges are hosted permanently and will never disappear.