The LauraLynn charity has said that a donation from a fox hunt group was accepted in error.
Responding to correspondence from the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, a spokesperson for the children's hospice charity stated: “It has come to our attention that in December 2023 a donation of €1,855 from South Westmeath Hunt, was accepted by LauraLynn in error.”
“A review of all our processes, including our fundraising policy, is currently underway to prevent this kind of error occurring in the future,” the spokesperson added.
The charity noted that “the club in question held a ‘Christmas ride-out’ event prior to contacting LauraLynn to donate its proceeds” and “the ride-out was held primarily for children and did not involve the hunt of any animals”.
LauraLynn says its fundraising policy is “reviewed and evaluated for appropriateness and effectiveness every two years at a minimum”.
A big THANK YOU to LauraLynn for its positive response. Please consider making a donation at https://www.lauralynn.ie/donate or organising a fundraiser https://www.lauralynn.ie/how-to-help/fundraise
Earlier this month, the charity was alerted to a report in the Westmeath Independent which outlined how the South Westmeath Harriers hunt organised the fundraiser. An accompanying photo showed members of the hunt, including one on horseback.
LauraLynn was told that the South Westmeath Harriers club is affiliated to the Irish Masters of Harriers Association which represents harrier hunts.
Harrier hunting involves releasing a pack of hounds to terrorise foxes and/or hares across the countryside. The animals are chased to exhaustion and when caught, they are attacked, bitten and ripped apart by the dogs.
According to a 2024 hunting directory, the South Westmeath Harriers has 40 hunting dogs and the "country hunted [is] South Westmeath and parts of Offaly and Roscommon" every Sunday from October to March.
Most people in Ireland are firmly opposed to fox hunting. A RED C opinion poll carried out in 2019 confirmed that a 77 per cent majority want fox hunting banned, with just 12 per cent disagreeing with a ban. A majority in both rural and urban areas want a ban.
While we acknowledge the vital role fundraisers play in sustaining charity work, we call on charities to say NO to hunt-organised fundraisers which are thinly veiled public relations exercises.
Many charities have rejected fox hunt fundraisers over the years. In December, the RNLI said no to a hunt fundraiser, stating "The RNLI reserves the right to decline donations that are not in keeping with the purpose and the values of the institution. We will not be accepting any donations from this activity or related activities, now or in the future." https://rnli.org/support-us/give-money
Previously, in 2020, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland announced that it would no longer accept donations from fox hunters. Responding to concerns about a cross-country charity ride organised by the Galway Blazers hunt in 2019, the charity said that while it had been assured that the event did not involve any hunting, it "did not know the full extent of the activities that ‘The Blazers’ take part in".
"We have listened to your concerns and we have now made the decision that in the future we will not be receiving any fundraising monies from any fox hunting clubs or any organisations that may be involved in animal cruelty," a spokesperson stated, adding that the society "absolutely shares your concerns on these matters". https://alzheimer.ie/get-involved/become-a-friend-support-asi/donate/
In 2019, the Irish Cancer Society was thanked for announcing that it would no longer accept donations associated with fox hunting. https://www.cancer.ie/ways-to-help
In 2016, Pieta House was thanked for rejecting a "Hunt for Light" hunt fundraiser in Tipperary. A spokesperson commented at the time: “We cannot be seen to have an association with or endorsement of bloodsports, and so we feel it would be inappropriate for us to benefit from or to be associated with a hunt. People across Ireland are so incredibly supportive of Pieta House, but in some cases - such as this one - the manner of the fundraiser is incompatible." https://www.pieta.ie/support-our-work/donate/
The Hope Foundation also responded positively to an appeal and turned down a fundraiser organised by a hunt in Cork. The charity contacted the organisers of the fundraiser to say "we do not wish to have this fundraiser carried out in the name of HOPE." https://www.hopefoundation.ie/donate/
It is indeed unfortunate that charities are forced to fundraise, particularly when hunts are the beneficiary of huge amounts of taxpayers' money. Details obtained by Paul Murphy TD reveal that over the past decade, more than €10 million in point-to-point racing grants have been doled out by taxpayer-funded Horse Racing Ireland to 66 hunts around Ireland (including a massive hand-out of €1,528,200 in 2022). In this period, South Westmeath Harriers received €119,000 in grants https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2023/05/02/horse-racing-irelands-shameful-e10-4-million-in-funding-to-cruel-fox-hunts/
We are continuing to call on the government to end this funding and redirect the money to deserving charities and community groups.
Please consider making a donation to
LauraLynn https://www.lauralynn.ie/donate
RNLI https://rnli.org/support-us/give-money
Irish Cancer Society https://www.cancer.ie/ways-to-help
Pieta House https://www.pieta.ie/support-our-work/donate/
Hope Foundation https://www.hopefoundation.ie/donate/
ACTION ALERT
The hunting of hares and foxes with packs of hounds should not be happening in modern Ireland. Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour to demand a ban on fox hunting, hare hunting, hare coursing and all bloodsports.
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/
X: 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
X: 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/
X: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
X: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Ivana Bacik TD
Leader, The Labour Party
Tel: (01) 6183136
Email: ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie
X: https://twitter.com/ivanabacik
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bacikivana/