Thanks to Dublin City Councillor Kourtney Kenny for becoming the latest politician to express support for a ban on cruel hare coursing.

In a message to ICABS this month, Cllr Kourtney Kenny (Sinn Fein) stated: “I would 100% support a ban on any and all blood sports.” 

“It is disgusting, demeaning and belittling to any form of life, particularly a harmless animal, to be used as bait for ‘sport’ which also supports harmful betting culture for humans and also supports the greyhound industry where so many dogs are treated abhorrently,” Cllr Kenny added.

Cllr Kourtney Kenny joins Sinn Fein Dublin City Councillors Janice Boylan and Daithí Doolan in calling for bloodsport bans.

Cllr Janice Boylan has in the past told ICABS: “I vote against [hare coursing] at every Ard Fheis I’ve been a delegate at. I am strongly opposed to it” and  “my personal stance is yes, I would favour a ban on this animal cruelty [hare coursing and foxhunting].”

Cllr Daithí Doolan has condemned bloodsports as “unacceptable and indefensible”.

“I have been against blood ‘sports’ since I was a child,” he is on record as stating. “They always struck me as being terribly, terribly cruel! I wish you well in campaigning to get them banned.” 

Other Dublin City Councillors who want bloodsports banned include:

Cllr Christy Burke (Independent): “I am against any form of animal cruelty.”

Cllr Donna Cooney (Green Party): “I would be totally against blood sports or any activity that hurts animals.”

Cllr Pat Dunne (Right to Change): “I am in favour of an end to foxhunting, hare coursing and other forms of cruelty.”

Cllr Deirdre Heney (Fianna Fáil): “I support the end of hare coursing and your campaign to bring this about...I have [called for a ban] in the past in relation to hare coursing and I will again.”

Cllr Vincent Jackson (Independent): “I am, and have always been, against bloodsports.”

Cllr John Lyons (Independent): “I am most certainly in favour of a ban on these horrific activities [hare coursing and fox hunting].”

Cllr Carolyn Moore (Green Party): Described a decision to license hare coursing as “100% reckless”

Cllr Cieran Perry (Independent): “I believe that the netting and coursing of wild hares is a cruel and barbaric practice that has no place in the Ireland of today. Despite the introduction of muzzling, which coursing enthusiasts reassured the public would remove the ‘kill’ element of this so-called sport, it is clear that the coursing fraternity cannot be trusted to police their own events. It is surely now time to consign this cruel and shameful practice to the dustbin of history once and for all.”

Cllr Punam Rane (Fine Gael): “I am outraged by the fact that these kind of ‘sports’ still continue in this day and age when they should have been banned long ago. I am happy to finally see this addressed and I fully support a ban on hare coursing”

Cllr Conor Reddy (People Before Profit): “It’s long past time we ended the senseless brutality of blood sports. Hare coursing, fox hunting and greyhound racing – there is not one redeeming quality to any of these cruel practices.”

Cllr Catherine Stocker (Social Democrats): “I would support a ban on all blood sports and killing of animals for recreational purposes – including hare coursing and fox hunting.”

ACTION ALERT

Please join us in our appeal to Sinn Fein to back a ban on hare coursing and fox hunting.

Contact Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald TD and urge her and the party to pledge support for a ban on hare coursing and fox hunting.

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

Tell the leaders of government parties Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to back a ban on hare coursing and fox hunting.

Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Tel: 01 619 4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
X: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD

Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01 281 3727
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris

Please sign and share the petitions

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