A Fine Gael Councillor who is also a member of the Irish Coursing Club “executive committee” has claimed that hares are not caught or killed by greyhounds in cruel coursing.

Cork County Councillor Eileen Lynch made the claim during an interview aired on Newstalk FM on Monday [7 February 2022].

Reporter Barry Whyte asked her "Do the greyhounds actually catch the hare? Do hares get killed?"

To this, she responded: "I would say absolutely not, in so far as since 1993, any coursing greyhound has been muzzled."

Listen to the full report on the Newstalk website
https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/highlights-from-the-pat-kenny-show/the-national-coursing-meeting-took-place-in-clonmel-but-could-this-be-the-last-time-the-event-is-held

The truth is that muzzling has not eliminated the cruelty or the kill from coursing. Although the muzzles prevent the greyhounds from catching the hares in their mouths, they do not stop them from catching hares by pinning them to the ground and holding them in place.

Every coursing season, hares die on coursing fields or are destroyed by coursing club vets after suffering serious injuries, including broken bones.

Previously Councillor Lynch, who says she has “been involved in the greyhound industry all my life”, laughably claimed that hare coursing is a “professional sport” and an “elite sport”.

In 2020, she pushed for coursing to be exempted from Covid-19 Level 5 restrictions, telling Radio Kerry: “For mental health reasons, people need an outlet like this."

Councillor Lynch – who works as a solicitor in Cork City – 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.” https://www.radiokerry.ie/constitutes-elite-sport-october-27th-2020

In the past, she has outrageously described greyhound racing as “predominantly an outdoor agricultural activity with the greyhound being classified as a farm animal”.

According to the Irish Coursing Club website, Cllr Lynch became a member of its committee after being proposed by Macroom Coursing Club and seconded by Fermoy & Grange Coursing Club. Hares have suffered hits and maulings at meets organised by both of these clubs. At the Macroom meeting in 2019, for example, three hares were pinned to the ground by greyhounds. One of the hares was “confirmed injured” and was “euthanised by vet”.

In January 2020, an advert published in the Castleisland Coursing Club booklet stated: “Wishing Castleisland Coursing Club every success. Cllr Eileen Lynch”.

Documents recently published by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (which shamefully licenses the bloodsport) confirm that hares are continuing to get caught by the dogs.

Among the latest victims were 7 hares caught and pinned to the ground by greyhounds at a meeting in Listowel. During Day 2 of the 3-day coursing meeting at the end of October 2021, 2 hares were pinned and examined by a vet for injuries. One of the hares died from injuries sustained. The following day, another five hares were caught and pinned during coursing. One hare was confirmed injured and “euthanised”.

At a coursing meeting in Loughrea in October two hares “died as a result of injuries sustained during coursing” and a third was “euthanased by a vet due to injuries sustained”. As previously reported, the Loughrea cruelty event was stopped on Day 1 - for reasons which remain unknown - and the club’s licence for netting hares was “immediately and indefinitely suspended pending a full investigation”.

A post-mortem carried out on the three dead hares showed: “patchy pulmonary congestion/haemorrhage in all lungs”, “congestion/haemorrhage in livers”, “significant blood clots in thoracic cavity” of one of the hares and “congestion of left kidney” in another hare.

Hares have been caught at other coursing meetings in the past few months, with more deaths documented.

At a coursing meeting in Ballyduff in November 2021, 9 hares were pinned by greyhounds. Two of these hares were confirmed injured and "euthanised"

In October at the Ballyheigue and District meeting, 3 hares were caught and pinned by dogs. One of these hares ws confirmed injured and euthanised.

On Day 1 of the Nenagh meeting on 5 November 2021, 2 hares were pinned and examined by a vet for injuries. 1 hare died from injuries. The following day, another hare was caught and examined by a vet. According to a ranger report, “two hares were pinned and cleared as uninjured by vet - the vet administered anti-inflammatories to both”.

At the Regional Tradaree meeting, a ranger noted that on Day 1, 3 hares were hit, 2 pinned and 1 treated for injuries. On Day 2, 4 hares were hit and 1 pinned, while on Day 3, 2 hares were hit, 1 pinned and 1 died from injuries.

Meanwhile in Cashel in October, three hares were caught and pinned to the ground. They were all examined by a vet and "required treatment".

A National Parks ranger report shows that at the Enniscorthy meeting in November, 3 hares were hit, 4 were pinned and 2 were treated for injuries. At Knockgraffon, one hare was pinned to the ground. The animal was confirmed injured by a vet and required treatment.

And following the Ardpatrick and Kilfinane coursing meeting in November, one hare was "found dead in box during release”.

SEE ALSO: Revealed: Fine Gael Councillor is member of coursing club committee
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2020/10/30/revealed-fine-gael-councillor-is-member-of-coursing-club-committee/

ACTION ALERT

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)1-640 3133
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Twitter: 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 pledge support for Paul Murphy TD’s upcoming Animal Health & Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020.

Email Fianna Fail TDs

micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie; brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie; aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; michael.moynihan.td@oireachtas.ie; Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie; michael.mcgrath@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

Email Fine Gael TDs

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Email Green Party TDs

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Email Sinn Fein TDs

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Email Labour Party TDs

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Sinn Fein: Support a ban on cruel hare coursing
https://www.change.org/p/sinn-fein-support-a-ban-on-cruel-hare-coursing

Ireland – Ban cruel hare coursing
http://www.change.org/p/ireland-ban-cruel-hare-coursing

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Witness the cruelty of hare coursing in Ireland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dm0mmXYcv8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVIKc2CS4ko