Presidential election candidate Heather Humphreys is featured in a photograph of the “Oir Syndicate”, a group of Fine Gael politicians who owned a greyhound who was used in racing and hare coursing.
The photograph, which is on display in the Dail Bar, shows Heather Humphreys with other TDs Brendan Griffin, Frank Feighan, Patrick O'Donovan, Paul Kehoe, Ray Butler, Paul Connaughton and Joe Carey.
The caption on the photo is “Oir Syndicate - Shelbourne Park 2012”. An accompanying image shows Fine Gael politicians posing for a photo next to the greyhound named Swift Starlet after she won a race at the Dublin track.
The Greyhound Racing Ireland website shows that Swift Starlet won the race on 20 December 2012, with prize money on the day of €215.
Swift Starlet was entered into 60 races between August 2012 and August 2014 and won 7. The total prize money is listed at €2,179 – €1,321 less than the €3,500 the politicians paid to purchase her.
Swift Starlet’s final race was at Mullingar track on 30 August 2014 where she came last.
Such was the exploitation of Swift Starlet that on at least one occasion, she was used for both hare coursing and greyhound racing on the same day. She was entered into the “All Age Bitch Stake” at Gorey coursing meeting on Saturday 26 October 2013. Afterwards she was transported 190 km to race in the “Ghoulish & Ghastly A3 525” at Dundalk greyhound track. Records show that she finished in 4th position, with winnings of €0.
The Irish Coursing Club website listed Swift Starlet as being owned by the Oir Syndicate.
In 2012, the Irish Examiner listed the known owners of the syndicate as the then Finance Minister Michael Noonan, then Environment Minister Phil Hogan, a junior agriculture minister, Cork East TD Tom Barry and Meath TD Ray Butler. It went on to state that the other syndicate members included Jerry Buttimer, (Cork South Central), Paudie Coffey, (Waterford), Frank Feighan, (Roscommon South Leitrim), Paul Connaughton, (Galway East), Joe Carey, (Clare), Brendan Griffin (Kerry South) and Noel Coonan (Tipperary North).
In October 2019, the Irish Examiner reported that “a greyhound owned by a syndicate of Fine Gael politicians is at the centre of a controversy concerning an alleged breach of animal welfare legislation, which has resulted in a fine being imposed by the Irish Greyhound Board...Swift Starlet last raced in August 2014, and concerns over her location and wellbeing resulted in an investigation by the IGB last summer in the wake of a Prime Time: RTE Investigates exposé that highlighted traceability issues. The investigation concluded in August with the imposition of a €250 fine on a Dublin breeder for an alleged breach of the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 [Section 10(6)].”
Section 10 of the Act states that “a person who sells or transfers ownership of a greyhound shall, within 14 days of the sale or transfer, give notice in writing to the [Irish Coursing Club] of the fact, the identification of the greyhound and the name and address of the person to whom the greyhound is sold or transferred” and that anyone who fails to do this “commits an offence”. https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2011/act/29/section/10/enacted/en/html
The breeder who was fined - and was quoted as saying "I'll be paying no €250 fine" - said that he leased Swift Starlet from the Oir Syndicate for breeding two years previously and that the dog was never reclaimed by her owners. He then rehomed her to the UK.
According to the Irish Examiner report, the Irish Greyhound Board “declined to explain why the fine was issued to the breeder rather than the registered owners of the dog”. It added that “none of the current and former Fine Gael TDs who were reportedly members of the syndicate responded to queries”. https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30957677.html
During her time in the Dail, Heather Humphreys voted in favour of more than €420 MILLION of Irish taxpayers' money being granted to horse and greyhound racing - €338 million to Horse Racing Ireland plus €84 million for Greyhound Racing Ireland. She voted in favour of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022 (€80 million / €80 million / €84 million / €88 million / €91 million).
As a Minister in 2023, Heather Humphreys launched a Responsible Dog Ownership leaflet and stated at the time that dogs “are a long term commitment and if you own a dog, you must be responsible for him or her, look after them and also consider the costs that are involved.” https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine/press-releases/ministers-humphreys-and-mcconalogue-urge-responsible-dog-ownership-ahead-of-christmas-period/
Among the legal responsibilities listed in the leaflet is "ensure you keep owner and dog details up to date on the database." In a section headed "Is a dog right for me?", it is stated: "owning a dog is a lifelong commitment, with some dogs living up to 20 years of age." https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/09fe3ad4/98282.pdf
It is not known where Swift Starlet ended up or if she is still alive.
The presidential election takes place this Friday, 24 October. Please reject Heather Humphreys and give your number 1 vote to compassionate Catherine Connolly.
Catherine Connolly is on record as saying that she has “serious difficulty" with greyhound racing. She was thanked for voting against the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund.
SEE ALSO
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https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/humphreys-did-not-interfere-in-dropped-animal-cruelty-case-1.4175681
"I want to ask you about your involvement in an animal cruelty case involving a constituent"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGNgXdllLK8
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https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2025/10/21/heather-humphreys-again-expresses-support-for-cruel-hare-coursing-and-fox-hunting/