Anti-coursing campaigners vow to fight on

ANTI-coursing campaigners have vowed to continue their fight despite the likelihood of their only political allies being voted out of the Dáil.

A group of up to 50 anti-blood sport protesters staged a low-key picket yesterday in Clonmel outside the venue for the final day of the annual National Coursing Meeting.

Organisers of the protest, which lasted for about two hours near the gates of Powerstown Park, said the Republic remains “the last outpost of this backwoods barbarism” now that hare coursing is banned in the North.

However, Irish Coursing Club chief executive DJ Histon said the sport is licensed by the Department of the Environment and strictly regulated. “We have upwards of about 10,000 people here and 20 or 30 outside the gate so we outnumbered them in that regard anyway.”

The club had “no issue” with anyone protesting, he said. “I’d say let people come themselves and make up their own minds.”

Irish Council Against Blood Sports spokeswoman Aideen Yourell said they were “very happy” with the turnout for the protest and vowed to continue their fight for a ban on hare coursing, despite the departure of the Greens from government.

“I suppose if the Green Party had remained in government for a little while longer, there was a possibility, because we did get the [Ward Union] deer hunt outlawed,” she said afterwards.

It was difficult to keep animal rights issues on the Fianna Fáil/Green government’s agenda, she said. “There were only six of them [Greens] and Fianna Fáil are so pro-coursing.”

They are concerned, however, that Fine Gael in government will not only refuse to consider a ban on coursing but will also repeal the legislation banning the Ward Union hunt in north Dublin and Meath.

“It would be utterly shameful because to get that [banned] was just a major thing. We’re hoping we’ll have a new political landscape and there will be a change in policy.”

However, campaigners didn’t trust Labour to promote their agenda following that party’s decision to vote against the legislation banning the Ward Union hunt. “Labour have let us down very badly over the stag-hunting,” Ms Yourell said. “It was shocking and appalling what they did. Any promises made by them, I wouldn’t trust.”

More than 30,000 people are estimated to have attended the three-day National Coursing Meeting in Clonmel.