Eight Sligo County Councillors have this week shamefully rejected a motion which called for a ban on foxhunting, one of Ireland’s worst acts of cruelty to animals.
Ocean FM is reporting that at a council meeting on Monday, Solidarity People Before Profit Councillor Gino O Boyle proposed that the council call for a ban on fox hunting. He described the bloodsport as a “barbaric tradition” and told the meeting that foxes caught by packs of hounds during hunts, are “torn to shreds”. https://oceanfm.ie/2020/01/14/sligo-councillors-vote-against-fox-hunting-ban/
Just one of the other councillors present supported the motion - Sinn Fein’s Chris MacManus.
Speaking at the meeting, Independent Councillor Michael Clarke farcically denied that foxes are torn apart when caught by the pack of hounds and claimed that “for the past 40 years the Sligo Hunt has never been involved in killing a fox”.
Independent Councillor Joe Queenan shamefully “complimented the North Mayo Harriers which, he said, operated in his area in which he never saw a fox having been killed.” In 2018, Queenan voted against a council motion calling for a ban on fur farming.
As did Fianna Fail’s Cllr Tom MacSharry. McSharry voted against this week’s anti-foxhunting motion despite having previously told ICABS that he is “totally against all forms of animal cruelty, including bloodsports”.
In an interview with Ocean FM following the vote, Cllr Gino O’Boyle commented: “I wasn’t surprised. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Independents always seem to vote for animal cruelty. The fact that they tried to class it as a ‘sport’ is nothing short of a joke. You have dogs chasing around foxes - packs of them. They tear the fox apart unfortunately. I was hoping that we might get some sort of a ban but not today unfortunately.”
Shame on the 8 councillors for disregarding the cruelty inherent in foxhunting and voting against the motion.
Martin Connolly (Fine Gael)
Tom Fox (Fine Gael)
Dónal Gilroy (Fianna Fail)
Rosaleen O’Grady (Fianna Fail)
Paul Taylor (Fianna Fail)
Tom MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
Michael Clarke (Independent)
Joseph Queenan (Independent)
Foxhunting is one of Ireland’s worst forms of cruelty to animals. It involves releasing a pack of hounds to chase foxes to exhaustion. Foxes caught by the dogs are knocked off their feet and ripped apart. Foxes who attempt to find refuge underground in a drain or earth are cruelly dug out and killed - often after being cornered and attacked by hunt terriers.
The Sligo Councillors, with their woefully outdated views, are very much in the minority. A RED C poll, commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, has revealed that a massive 77% agree that the government should BAN FOXHUNTING. The opinion poll, carried out in September, found that just 12% disagree with a ban, while 11% said they don't know. Of those stating an opinion, 87% of these agree that the Irish Government should ban foxhunting while 13% disagree with this. https://www.facebook.com/banbloodsports/posts/2622019234580285
Cllr Gino O’Boyle and Cllr Chris MacManus are both running as candidates in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency in the General Election on 8th February. If you are in Sligo, please give them your support. Find out about other candidates at https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2020/01/09/general-election-2020-sligo-leitrim-candidates-and-animal-cruelty-issues/
ACTION ALERT
Sign and share our "Ban Blood Sports in Ireland" petition
https://www.change.org/petitions/ban-blood-sports-in-ireland
Contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and demand a ban on fox hunting.
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Tweet to: @LeoVaradkar
Please sign and share our petition - Ban Blood Sports in Ireland Now
https://www.change.org/petitions/ban-blood-sports-in-ireland
Contact the Agriculture Minister now and demand that an exemption for foxhunting is removed from the Animal Health and Welfare Act.
Michael Creed TD
Minister for Agriculture
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Email: michael.creed@oir.ie
Tel: +353 (0)1-607 2000 or LoCall 1890-200510.
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelcreedtd
Tweet to: @creedcnw
Appeal to all Irish politicians
Please join us in telling the Irish Government that it is now time to ban foxhunting. Contact all your local TDs and urge them to push for a ban on this blood sport. Visit the Oireachtas website for names of TDs and their email addresses http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=32&disp=mem
Write to your TDs at: Dail Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-618 3000 or 1890 337 889. Please also arrange a meeting with your TDs at their local clinics.
Keep hunters off your land
If you are a landowner, make your land off-limits to hunters. Find out more about how to do this on our Farmers/Landowners Page - http://www.banbloodsports.com/farmers.htm Encourage all land-owning friends and family members in the countryside to show compassion and make their land a haven for wildlife. If hunters are denied access to land, the wildlife will be spared the suffering of cubhunting and foxhunting.
Complain to the Sligo Councillors who voted against the “Ban Foxhunting” motion.
Michael Clarke (Independent)
Email: cllrmichaelclarke@eircom.net
Tel: 087 7708691
Joseph Queenan (Independent) -
Email: queenanjoseph@eircom.net
Tel: 087 6214422
Martin Connolly (Fine Gael)
Email: connollymartin63@gmail.com
Tel: 087 2054930
Tom Fox (Fine Gael)
Email: tom@tomfox.ie
Tel: 087 2074720
Dónal Gilroy (Fianna Fail)
Email: donalgilroy@outlook.com
Tel: 087 9386694
Rosaleen O’Grady (Fianna Fail)
Email: ogradyrosaleen@eircom.net
Tel: 086 8060171
Paul Taylor (Fianna Fail)
Email: paultaylorsligo@gmail.com
Tel: 087 6794509
Tom MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
Email: tommacsharry@hotmail.com
Tel: 087 4163730