Sinn Féin's Lynn Boylan: 'I don’t understand how anybody could watch a hare being chased'

MP says her personal view on hare coursing is 'not hidden' and that she wants to see it banned

TDs Paul Murphy and Ruth Coopinger join protesters outside Leinster House campaigning for hare coursing to be banned. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins

Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has said she cannot understand how anyone could “watch a hare being chased” and that she disagrees with her party’s policy on hare coursing.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner in Strasbourg, Ms Boylan said her personal view on hare coursing is “not hidden” and that she wants to see it banned.

“I speak on the floor of the ard fheis, I’ve brought forward motions on the past on it. I was happy to see the fox hunting motion pass.

“While I don’t support coursing, I don’t understand how anybody could watch a hare being chased. I do respect the way the policy is made and the current position of the party is that they would rather see it regulated,” Ms Boylan said.

Sinn Féin has said it does not agree with a plan to ban hare coursing. 

Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan. Picture: Sasko Lazarov

Legislation from People Before Profit to bar the practice was to be voted on late on Wednesday but it was expected to be lost with the Government confirming it will vote against the proposals.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has previously said that Sinn Féin supports strict regulation and that a ban would instead drive the practice underground.

Asked if there was a different perspective for rural people compared to urban dwellers, Ms Boylan said she disagreed.

“No, I actually find it bizarre to think that because somebody lives in rural Ireland that they take a different approach to animal welfare,” she said.

“I see no distinction between rural, urban. People have a view on an activity in the same way that people have views on rugby. It doesn’t matter whether you’re urban or rural and that’s the view I would take on hare coursing.

Also in Strasbourg, Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher said while he does not have a vote on the matter, he previously supported measures like muzzling dogs for coursing.

“I wouldn’t be prescriptive to say that it should be banned, but certainly there should be huge oversight, veterinary oversight, and insistence on best practice,” Mr Kelleher said, adding that dogs must be muzzled and hares have sufficient escape routes.

Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly said he was not sure about a ban, saying it was a “tradition in a lot of rural Ireland”.

Mr Kelly added he previously had attended some hare coursing events and he had not seen “any damage being done”.

He said there should instead be proper regulation, supervision and enforcement.

Meanwhile, the European Parliament has voted to call for a full ban on the export of alumina to Russia, as Fianna Fáil MEPs opted to abstain on measure.

MEPs backed a non-binding resolution calling for the key raw material to be added to the sanctions list, with Fine Gael, Labour, and Sinn Féin MEPs backing the proposal.

The call for a ban was submitted as an amendment to a 2025 report on Ukraine’s EU accession progress.

It was not taken as a roll call vote, with it being agreed through a show of hands by MEPs.

However, the vote itself is non-binding, with the European Commission having the power to decide on future sanctions packages.

It comes as pressure grows on the Government over the Aughinish Alumina plant, following investigative reports that large quantities of alumina has been sent to Russia for use in building weapons to be used on the Ukrainian frontline.