A fox was chased for twenty minutes by a pack of 70 hounds and another was terrorised through a beet field during a shameful hunt in County Laois this month.
A report in the Irish Field described how two hounds “had a fine dog fox afoot” and the fox was chased “into Liam Dunne’s dairy farm” where the following hunters and pack of hounds “met a really stiff hedge with a decent drop”.
According to the report, the pursued fox “found refuge“ in a riverside earth “after about 20 minutes”. It claimed that the fox was “given best”. However, often during hunts, a fox who finds refuge is further terrorised when the hunt’s terriermen release terriers underground to attack and corner the fox while the clay is dug away from above, before the injured and squealing fox is pulled out and brutally killed.
Later in the day during the Laois hunt, another fox was targeted - “our huntsman took hounds across the road to draw Andy Doogue’s beet field which is five-star accommodation for our quarry. It wasn’t too long before a whimper became a crescendo as hounds hunted through the beet.”
This unfortunate fox was “marked to ground just a couple of fields away”.
“Marked to ground” refers to the point when the pack of hounds chase the fox into an earth or drain. This is typically followed by the arrival of the hunt’s terriermen to cruelly catch and kill the fox.
The report revealed that the hunt met at the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel where “hospitality was being dispensed by Alex Kent and his staff”. After their bloodsport outing, the hunters returned to the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel where “the hospitality was, as always, generously provided by the Kent family”.
Among those present at the hunt were:
- “Shane Barry, a member of An Garda Síochána” who is also a Laois Hunt “whipper-in”
- “Physicist Dr Pat Meehan, who is a research fellow in UL...he hasn’t missed a Laois opening meet for 35 seasons”
- Tomas Murphy, whose “brother Seosamh runs the Castle Arms”
As previously highlighted, Seosamh Murphy of the Castle Arms in Durrow and Alex and April Kent of the nearby Abbeyleix Manor Hotel are involved in hunting, with the Irish Field noting last year that “both hotels regularly host meets of the hunt and these meets are looked on as the high point of the season.”
In the past, the Castle Arms Hotel has hosted a Laois Hunt Christmas Fair and posted a video on its Facebook page showing the hunt setting out from the hotel – https://www.facebook.com/CastleArmsHotel/videos/996919973698867/
Abbeyleix Manor hotel, meanwhile, has hosted the Laois Hunt ball and a fox hunt table quiz as well as publicising foxhunt meets on its Facebook page.
Foxhunting is completely unacceptable in modern Ireland and a majority want it stopped. A RED C opinion poll, commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, has found that a massive 77% agree that the Irish Government should BAN FOXHUNTING. The opinion poll, carried out in September 2019, found that just 12% disagree with a ban. Please respond to our action alert below and join calls for a long overdue ban on foxhunting.
ACTION ALERT
Boycott businesses that support foxhunting.
Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour Party to tell them that you want fox hunting and all bloodsports banned.
Micheál Martin
Leader, Fianna Fail
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
Leo Varadkar
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: +353 (0)1-704 3630 OR +353 (0)1-640 3133
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Eamon Ryan
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Alan Kelly TD
Leader, Labour Party
Tel: 067 34190
Email: alan.kelly@oir.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alankellytd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alankellylabour
Contact Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour Party TDs.
Email Fianna Fail TDs
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SEE ALSO
2 Laois hotels “regularly host” foxhunting meets https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2020/03/06/5699/