Cruel hare coursing - it’s time to remove this stain from the “sports” pages of newspapers. Read John Fitzgerald’s letter to the editor in today’s Irish Daily Mail and please scroll down for action alert...
End coursing coverage
Letter to the Editor, Irish Daily Mail: 8th June 2022
Animal protection groups across Europe are celebrating the decision of Spain’s largest newspaper, El Pais, to end bullfighting coverage in its print edition. This development reflects changing public attitudes in Spain to the Corrida.
I'd encourage Irish newspapers to follow this example and drop hare coursing from their sports pages. It never belong there here in the first place, since sport is ostensibly about competition and fair play, not pitting two larger and faster animals after a small one that cannot defend itself and suffers horrific injuries when mauled or tossed about by its pursuers.
The fact that coursing is covered as a sport is bad enough, but the correspondents don’t even bother to give an accurate account of the proceedings.
Imagine covering a hurling match without once referring to a foul, or fracas on the pitch, or an injured player being removed on a stretcher.
That’s how coursing coverage works. You’ll get no mention of an animal being terrorised for human amusement. All you’ll get is a list of winning dogs, the names of their owners, and maybe a picture or two of the successful dogs, and their owners displaying cheques or trophies. Not exactly Pulitzer-winning stuff.
Some sports writers go a little bit further and do colour pieces on coursing in which they depict it in an even rosier light.
In addition to not alluding to its dark side, they give the impression that it’s a time-honoured Irish pastime; completely harmless and fit for all the family.
If a Spanish news organisation can see the writing on the wall for bull fighting, for long deemed a quintessentially Spanish tradition, then I suggest that those at the helm of Ireland’s newspaper industry adopt the same approach to hare coursing.
It’s time to remove this stain from the sports pages.
John Fitzgerald
Callan , Co Kilkenny
ACTION ALERT
Tell Heritage Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Malcolm Noonan to stop licensing cruel hare coursing and give Irish Hares the proper protection they deserve
Minister Darragh O’Brien (Fianna Fail, Dublin Fingal)
Tel: (01) 618 3802 OR (086) 251 9893
Email: darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; minister@housing.gov.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DarraghOBrienTD
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DarraghOBrienTD
Malcolm Noonan TD (Green Party, Carlow Kilkenny)
Minister of State for Heritage
Tel: (01) 618 3148 OR (01) 618 3156
Email: mos@housing.gov.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/votemalcolmnoonan1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/noonan_malcolm
Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour to tell them that you want hare coursing and all bloodsports banned.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.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 TD
Leader, Fine Gael
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
Eamon Ryan TD
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
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Ivana Bacik TD
Leader, The Labour Party
Tel: (01) 6183136
Email: ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ivanabacik
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bacikivana/
Witness the cruelty of hare coursing in Ireland
https://youtu.be/5Dm0mmXYcv8
https://youtu.be/yVIKc2CS4ko