Foxes ran for their lives from 25 hounds during Cork hunt

Petition updateBan Blood Sports in IrelandFoxes ran for their lives from 25 hounds during Cork hunt

Irish Council Against Blood SportsMullingar, Ireland

Jun 29, 2025

Foxes were forced to run for their lives from hunters and a pack of 25 hounds during a shameful hunt in County Cork earlier this year.

A 21 February 2025 report in the Irish Field revealed that at the South Union Foxhounds hunt, the pack of dogs was released “at the nearby GAA car park” and were brought to Ballymartin wood, where two foxes were disturbed.

“Hounds soon settled on a good dog fox and marvellous woodland hunting resulted,” the report outlined.

This fox “circumnavigated the wood several times” before, according to the report, “he found a welcoming shore and was given best”.

Another fox was chased by the 25 dogs - they “ran towards the main Kinsale road” and were stopped “before they crossed the busy main road”.

Later, a fox was found on farmland and “ran towards Lackenacruneen, over some smashing country”.

The dogs “remained loyal to the line and hunted back towards the meet”. It was not revealed if this fox escaped with his life or if he was caught and torn apart by the dogs.

The appalling cruelty of the South Union hunt has been well documented in the past. In 1997, video footage emerged showing a fox being dug out of the ground with a terrier biting into his head. Both animals were prised apart and the fox, with a wound visible on his head, was dumped into a fertiliser bag. The fox was flung in front of a pack of hounds who attacked and killed. This sickening spectacle was accompanied by horn blowing and jubilant whoops from the hunters.

Shame on the Irish Government for allowing this bloodsport to continue in 2025. A RED C opinion poll, commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, shows that a 77% majority (in both urban and rural areas) agree that the government should ban fox hunting. The poll found that just 12 per cent disagree with a ban.

DID YOU KNOW? Irish taxpayer-funded Horse Racing Ireland has handed out €13,796,550 to hunts since 2014 (in the form of point to point racing grants), including over €1.7 million for 2024. The South Union hunt has received €205,800.

ACTION ALERT

It’s time for a ban on cruel fox hunting. Contact TDs and urge them to support Ruth Coppinger TD's Animal Health & Welfare (Ban On Fox Hunting) Bill when it returns to Dail Eireann.

Visit the Oireachtas website for email addresses and phone numbers for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/34

Email all Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein TDs now:

*** Fianna Fail
john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie; niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie; michael.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie; jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie; darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; jack.chambers@oireachtas.ie; james.lawless@oireachtas.ie; sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie; sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie; willie.odea@oireachtas.ie; niall.collins@oireachtas.ie; Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie; dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie; thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie; mary.butler@oireachtas.ie; minister@housing.gov.ie; peterchap.cleere@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.murnaneoconnor@oireachtas.ie; cathal.crowe@oireachtas.ie; timmy.dooley@oireachtas.ie; james.oconnor@oireachtas.ie; padraig.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; seamus.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; christopher.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; patthecope.gallagher@oireachtas.ie; tom.brabazon@oireachtas.ie; shane.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; paul.mcauliffe@oireachtas.ie; shay.brennan@oireachtas.ie; catherine.ardagh@oireachtas.ie; john.lahart@oireachtas.ie; cormac@cormacdevlin.ie; albert.dolan@oireachtas.ie; john.connolly@oireachtas.ie; michael.cahill@oireachtas.ie; norma.foley@oireachtas.ie; naoise.ocearuil@oireachtas.ie; erin.mcgreehan@oireachtas.ie; aisling.dempsey@oireachtas.ie; tony.mccormack@oireachtas.ie; martin.daly@oireachtas.ie; eamon.scanlon@oireachtas.ie; ryan.omeara@oireachtas.ie; malcolm.byrne@oireachtas.ie

*** Fine Gael
catherine.callaghan@oireachtas.ie; david.maxwell@oireachtas.ie; joe.cooney@oireachtas.ie; noel.mccarthy@oireachtas.ie; colm.burke@oireachtas.ie; johnpaul.oshea@oireachtas.ie; jerry.buttimer@oireachtas.ie; naoise.omuiri@oireachtas.ie; james.geoghegan@oireachtas.ie; Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie; grace.boland@oireachtas.ie; emer.higgins@oireachtas.ie; maeve.oconnell@oireachtas.ie; neale.richmond@oireachtas.ie; colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie; emer.currie@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.carrollmacneill@oireachtas.ie; barry.ward@oireachtas.ie; peter.roche@oireachtas.ie; hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie; joe.neville@oireachtas.ie; Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie; william.aird@oireachtas.ie; kieran.odonnell@oireachtas.ie; Patrick.O'Donovan@oireachtas.ie; peter.burke@oireachtas.ie; micheal.carrigy@oireachtas.ie; paula.butterly@oireachtas.ie; alan.dillon@oireachtas.ie; keira.keogh@oireachtas.ie; helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie; john.clendennen@oireachtas.ie; frank.feighan@oireachtas.ie; michael.murphy@oireachtas.ie; john.cummins@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie; edward.timmins@oireachtas.ie; brian.brennan@oireachtas.ie

*** Sinn Féin
matt.carthy@oireachtas.ie; pat.buckley@oireachtas.ie; thomas.gould@oireachtas.ie; donnchadh.olaoghaire@oireachtas.ie; Pearse.Doherty@oireachtas.ie; padraig.maclochlainn@oireachtas.ie; denise.mitchell@oireachtas.ie; MaryLou.McDonald@oireachtas.ie; ann.graves@oireachtas.ie; louise.oreilly@oireachtas.ie; eoin.obroin@oireachtas.ie; mark.ward@oireachtas.ie; dessie.ellis@oireachtas.ie; maire.devine@oireachtas.ie; aengus.osnodaigh@oireachtas.ie; Sean.Crowe@oireachtas.ie; paul.donnelly@oireachtas.ie; louis.ohara@oireachtas.ie; mairead.farrell@oireachtas.ie; pa.daly@oireachtas.ie; reada.cronin@oireachtas.ie; shonagh.niraghallaigh@oireachtas.ie; maurice.quinlivan@oireachtas.ie; sorca.clarke@oireachtas.ie; ruairi.omurchu@oireachtas.ie; rose.conwaywalsh@oireachtas.ie; darren.orourke@oireachtas.ie; johnny.guirke@oireachtas.ie; claire.kerrane@oireachtas.ie; martin.kenny@oireachtas.ie; david.cullinane@oireachtas.ie; conor.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; johnny.mythen@oireachtas.ie; john.brady@oireachtas.ie; fionntan.osuilleabhain@oireachtas.ie; natasha.newsomedrennan@oireachtas.ie; cathy.bennett@oireachtas.ie; donna.mcgettigan@oireachtas.ie; joanna.byrne@oireachtas.ie

Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein. Tell them that you want fox hunting, hare coursing and all bloodsports banned.

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

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

Watch our campaign video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG9rMlE3VAQ