The Drogheda Independent newspaper is being urged to drop cruel hare coursing from its so-called ‘sports’ section.

“We were disappointed and disgusted to see a one and a half page report in the Drogheda Independent (31 December 2025) about the Dundalk & Dowdallshill coursing meeting on St Stephen's Day,” the Irish Council Against Blood Sports stated in an appeal to the editor. “Under no definition of the word, could hare coursing ever be categorised as a sport. It involves snatching thousands of hares from the wild in nets, holding them in unnatural captivity for weeks or months and eventually forcing them to run for their lives in front of pairs of greyhounds.”

Hares suffer fear and stress as they try to escape from the dogs. Those caught and mauled sustain painful injuries such as broken bones and dislocated hips. The hares who survive the ordeal are at risk of later dying from the stress-related condition known as capture myopathy.

The Drogheda Independent was told that at last year's Dundalk & Dowdallshill coursing meeting, four hares were hit by greyhounds and 2 were caught and pinned to the ground. 38 hares were captured for this animal cruelty event and they were held in captivity for up to 77 days.

The coursing report revealed that among those shamefully participating was a vet - “Local vet Brian Jones and his brother Laurence teamed up to land the featured Corn Cuchulainn worth €2,000 to the winner".

Also connected to the coursing meeting was a former Northern Ireland MP and human rights activist: "The Oaks Trial Stake fell to Tazs Magic. She is owned by Tara Bates, Delvin and in the last course got the better of Lowside Annie, owned by former MP Bernadette McAliskey". https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/drogheda-independent/20251231/281986088920182

ACTION ALERT

Join us in urging the Drogheda Independent to expose the cruelty of hare coursing instead of giving it positive coverage.

Email: john.g.mulligan@independent.ie; editorial@drogheda-independent.ie
Telephone: 042 9334632