Fine Gael Councillor Eileen Lynch is a member of the Irish Coursing Club “executive committee”, it has emerged.
In an interview on Radio Kerry this week, the Cork County Councillor laughably presented coursing, in which dogs are unleashed to terrorise defenceless hares, as a “professional sport” and an “elite sport”.
She went on to admit that she had shamefully attended a coursing meeting last week.
“I was actually coursing last Wednesday in Mallow and everyone on the field was wearing their mask,” she said, pushing for the activity to be exempted from nationwide Level 5 restrictions.
“For mental health reasons, people need an outlet like this,” she outrageously added.
At past Mallow coursing meetings, hares have been caught and pinned to the ground by greyhounds. Injuries suffered included “broken leg”. Hares have died as a result of the injuries or were euthanised by a vet. It is not yet known if hares were injured or killed at last week’s Mallow meeting.
Councillor Lynch - who works as a solicitor in Cork City and is a Secretary General of the Youth of the European People’s Party - went on to reveal that, before coursers were ordered to stop last week, 30 members of each club were being allowed to attend “to facilitate the meeting”. This means that as many as 170 people or more were congregating in coursing fields to watch hares running for their lives. This at a time when the maximum allowed to attend wedding receptions (indoor or outdoor) and funerals is restricted to just 25.
Cllr Lynch also reminded Radio Kerry listeners about the close ties between hare coursing and greyhound racing, saying “We [the coursers] are answerable to Rasaiocht Con Eireann, formerly Bord na gCon (Greyhound Racing Ireland) - we are under their general control and direction.”
Listen to the full interview at
https://www.radiokerry.ie/constitutes-elite-sport-october-27th-2020
According to the Irish Coursing Club website, Cllr Eileen Lynch became a member of its committee after being proposed by Macroom Coursing Club and seconded by Fermoy & Grange Coursing Club.
At the Macroom coursing meeting last year, three hares were pinned to the ground by greyhounds. One of the hares was “confirmed injured” and was “euthanised by vet”. Hares have also suffered hits and maulings at meets organised by the Fermoy and Grange club.
Cllr Eileen Lynch has previously admitted that she has “been involved in the greyhound industry all my life”. In January of this year, an advert was published in the Castleisland Coursing Club booklet which stated: "Wishing Castleisland Coursing Club every success. Cllr Eileen Lynch”.
In a column in The Corkman in May, she described greyhound racing as “predominantly an outdoor agricultural activity with the greyhound being classified as a farm animal”.
Cllr Lynch, along with Mattie McGrath and Michael Healy Rae, are among a tiny minority of politicians who openly support coursing.
Thankfully, the government has disregarded their calls to allow coursing to continue during COVID19 restrictions. ICABS understands that the National Parks and Wildlife Service has written to the Irish Coursing Club, telling them to release all hares in captivity. The move follows last week's announcement by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage that hare coursing was to be stopped for six weeks from midnight on Wednesday 21st October, in line with the Level 5 restrictions which state: “No organised outdoor gatherings should take place".
With a RED C opinion poll showing that 77% of Irish citizens want a long overdue ban on coursing (with just 9% wanting it to continue), pressure is mounting on the government to back a ban.
Please join us now in pushing for a permanent ban on cruel hare coursing and full protection for the Irish Hare.
ACTION ALERT
If you are aware of any coursing taking place in your area, contact the local Gardai and ask them to take action - find contact details at https://www.garda.ie/en/Contact-Us/Station-Directory/
It’s now time for politicians to consign this nasty bloodsport to history. Join us in contacting all TDs and urging them to act to ensure that a ban is urgently introduced. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33
Urge Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar to respect the wishes of the majority and ban hare coursing and all bloodsports.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1–618 4350 or +353 (0)21-432 0088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar
Telephone: +353 (0)1-704 3630 OR +353 (0)1-640 3133
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Contact Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour Party TDs and urge them to back a ban on cruel hare coursing.
Fianna Fail TDs
john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie; brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie; aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; michael.moynihan.td@oireachtas.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie; sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie; jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie; darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; jack@jackchambers.ie; anne.rabbitte@oireachtas.ie; eamon.ocuiv@oireachtas.ie; james.lawless@oireachtas.ie; sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie; sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie; barry.cowen@oireachtas.ie; willie.odea@oireachtas.ie; niall.collins@oireachtas.ie; Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie; dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie; thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie; marc.macsharry@oireachtas.ie; jackie.cahill@oireachtas.ie; mary.butler@oireachtas.ie; james.browne@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.murnaneoconnor@oireachtas.ie; cathal.crowe@oireachtas.ie; james.oconnor@oireachtas.ie; padraig.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; christopher.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; paul.mcauliffe@oireachtas.ie; john.lahart@oireachtas.ie; cormac@cormacdevlin.ie; normafoley1@eircom.net; joe.flaherty@oireachtas.ie; Stephen.Donnelly@oireachtas.ie
Fine Gael TDs
JohnPaul.Phelan@oireachtas.ie; Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie; joe.carey@oireachtas.ie; david.stanton@oir.ie; colm.burke@oireachtas.ie; michael.creed@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie; joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie; richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie; Eoghan.Murphy@oireachtas.ie; Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Farrell@oireachtas.ie; emer.higgins@oireachtas.ie; neale.richmond@oireachtas.ie; josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.carrollmacneill@oireachtas.ie; Ciaran.Cannon@oireachtas.ie; hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie; Brendan.Griffin@oireachtas.ie; bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie; Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie; charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie; kieran.odonnell@oireachtas.ie; Patrick.O'Donovan@oireachtas.ie; peter.burke@oireachtas.ie; fergus.odowd@oireachtas.ie; alan.dillon@oireachtas.ie; michael.ring@oireachtas.ie; helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie; damien.english@oireachtas.ie; frank.feighan@oireachtas.ie; paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie
Green Party TDs
Eamon.Ryan@greenparty.ie; catherine.martin@oireachtas.ie; patrick.costello@oireachtas.ie; francisnoel.duffy@oireachtas.ie; neasa.hourigan@oireachtas.ie; brian.leddin@oireachtas.ie; steven.matthews@oireachtas.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie; joe.obrien@oireachtas.ie; marc.ocathasaigh@oireachtas.ie; roderic.ogorman@oireachtas.ie
ossian.smyth@greenparty.ie
Sinn Fein TDs
john.brady@oireachtas.ie; pat.buckley@oireachtas.ie; Sean.Crowe@oireachtas.ie; david.cullinane@oireachtas.ie; Pearse.Doherty@oireachtas.ie; dessie.ellis@oir.ie; kathleen.funchion@oireachtas.ie; martinkennysf@gmail.com; MaryLou.McDonald@oireachtas.ie; denise.mitchell@oireachtas.ie; imelda.munster@oireachtas.ie; eoin.obroin@oireachtas.ie; donnchadh.olaoghaire@oireachtas.ie; aengus.osnodaigh@oireachtas.ie; louiseoreillysf@gmail.com; maurice.quinlivan@oireachtas.ie; Brian.Stanley@oireachtas.ie; mark.ward@oireachtas.ie; chris.andrews@oireachtas.ie; martin.browne@oireachtas.ie; matt.carthy@oireachtas.ie; sorca.clarke@oireachtas.ie; roseconwaywalsh@eircom.net; reada.cronin@oireachtas.ie; pa.daly@oireachtas.ie; paul.donnelly@oireachtas.ie; mairead.farrell@oireachtas.ie; thomas.gould@oireachtas.ie; johnny.guirke@oireachtas.ie; claire.kerrane@oireachtas.ie; padraig.maclochlainn@oir.ie; johnny.mythen@oireachtas.ie; ruairi.omurchu@oireachtas.ie; darren.orourke@oireachtas.ie; patriciaryan975@gmail.com; pauline.tully@oireachtas.ie; vwynne@gmail.com
Labour Party TDs
sean.sherlock@oireachtas.ie,aodhan.oriordain@oireachtas.ie,duncan.smith@oireachtas.ie,gerald.nash@oireachtas.ie,Alan.Kelly@oireachtas.ie,brendan.howlin@oireachtas.ie
Please sign and share the petitions
Ban Blood Sports in Ireland
https://www.change.org/p/ban-blood-sports-in-ireland
Ireland – Ban cruel hare coursing
http://www.change.org/p/ireland-ban-cruel-hare-coursing
Witness the cruelty of hare coursing in Ireland
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRkXOvbUPNNjMc6LShwiiXBfnDAPbykf
77% want cruel coursing banned: Support our new nationwide billboard campaign
Donate now at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-fund-ban-greyhound-racing-billboards
More Information: Cllr Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael, Cork County Council)
"Wishing Castleisland Coursing Club every success. Cllr Eileen Lynch). Advert in Castleisland Coursing Club booklet, January 2020.
"I am also involved in the greyhound industry" From Cllr Eileen Lynch's Facebook profile page.
In a 21 May 2020 column in The Corkman, Cllr Eileen Lynch described greyhound racing as “predominantly an outdoor agricultural activity with the greyhound being classified as a farm animal”. She revealed that she has “been involved in the greyhound industry all my life”.
"Coursing is not about killing, no coursing supporter wants to see a hare killed #wecareforthehare" Tweet to RTE's Claire Byrne Live, from Eileen Lynch, February 6, 2017.
"6 million extra for horse and greyhound fund each year for three years #Budget2015" Tweet from Eileen Lynch, October 14, 2014.
Find out the views of other Councillors at
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2020/01/08/politicians-and-animal-cruelty-issues/