Three anti-bloodsports Senators have been re-elected to Seanad Eireann’s Trinity College panel.
Back on the University of Dublin, Trinity College panel are Independent Senators David Norris and Lynn Ruane, along with the Labour Party’s Ivana Bacik.
Senator Bacik was supportive of the campaign which banned hunting deer with packs of hounds. She appealed to the Environment Minister to refuse a licence to the Ward Union carted deer hunt and in 2010, despite the Labour Party opposing a ban, she refused to vote against a ban in a Seanad vote.
Senator David Norris has backed calls for an end to the export of Irish greyhounds to China and has strongly condemned cruel hare coursing over the years. He denounced the blood sport as a “particularly damnable and degrading pursuit”, an indefensible obscenity and a “horrible practice”.
Senator Lynn Ruane is also in favour of a ban on coursing. In 2016, she gave her backing to Maureen O’Sullivan TD’s bill which sought to ban coursing.
Last year, following the broadcast of RTE’s shocking “Greyhounds Running For Their Lives” documentary, Senator Ruane spoke out against the exports of Irish greyhounds to China and Pakistan, countries with little or no animal welfare protection.
Referring to scenes in the documentary showing greyhounds in Ireland with their ears chopped off, she stated: “It is appalling to think that people had dogs’ ears removed in order that they could not be identified.”
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Watch “RTE Investigates: Greyhounds Running For Their Lives” on the RTE Player https://www.rte.ie/player/movie/rt%C3%A9-investigates-greyhounds-running-for-their-lives/104051751967 or on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
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Irish Government: Stop Giving Millions of Euro to Cruel Greyhound Industry
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Stop supporting the cruel greyhound industry
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Senator Ivana Bacik (Labour Party)
“I am asking you to refuse a licence to the Ward Union deer hunt,” Senator Bacik stated in a letter to Environment Minister, John Gormley. “The Irish Council Against Blood Sports are mounting a campaign against this, which I support.” (October 2007)
ICABS has thanked Senator Ivana Bacik for refusing to vote against a ban on the Ward Union. The Irish Times has reported that the Labour Party senator abstained in a Seanad vote on the Wildlife Amendment Bill. 01 July 2010.
Senator David Norris (Independent)
In May 2016, responding to correspondence from ICABS in which we highlighted the injuries and deaths suffered by greyhounds who end up at the notorious Canidrome racetrack, Senator Norris stated: “Thank you for your email about supporting my colleague Frances Black and the campaign to stop the export of Irish greyhounds to China. I agree wholeheartedly and am very happy to add my name in support.”
“The spectacle of fox hunting is most attractive, although not for the fox. However, we must do something to root out the horrible practice of live hare coursing. There is simply no justification for it if we are concerned about the welfare of small animals. I believe it is bad for the moral welfare of the people who watch the sport. No decent person should take pleasure from the hunting to death of a small, frightened animal. I agree with Senator Mooney about education – it is an important element in encouraging people to respect wildlife.” (16 November 2000).
“I heard a Member on the Government side attempt to defend the obscenity of coursing, which is indefensible.” Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Second Stage, 26 January 2010.
“In case anybody thinks I am red in tooth and claw in terms of hunting, I leave a question mark over fox hunting but disdain most other forms. I consider hare coursing to be a particularly damnable and degrading pursuit and I condemn it outright.” Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage, 10 February 2010.
Senator Lynn Ruane (Independent)
In June 2016, Senator Lynn Ruane attended a press conference in Dublin to support Maureen O’Sullivan TD’s announcement of a bill to ban hare coursing.
“On the greyhound industry and the issues that have been revealed since yesterday, I find it extremely frustrating to listen to Fianna Fáil Senators speaking on greyhound licensing when they voted against amendments which we tabled and which were designed to stop licensing the export of greyhounds to China and Pakistan. We should never wait for failings in respect of animal or other rights to be exposed on national television. Rather, we should always seek to prevent problems through legislation. Legislation on this matter came before the House in the past few months and we had a significant opportunity to strengthen it in regard to animal cruelty. It is appalling to think that there people had dogs’ ears removed in order that they could not be identified. We could have strengthened the Greyhound Racing Bill when it came before the House some months ago, especially regarding the licensing of exports to countries where the cruelty perpetrated is even more extreme than the horrific cruelty shown last night on “Prime Time”. It is dishonest and hypocritical for parties or people to state that we need to look at a particular issue, but not acknowledge that only a few months ago they voted down measures to address it. I need to point that out, especially after seeing the obscene images broadcast last night.” Seanad debates, 27 June 2019.