Paul Murphy TD’s bill to ban hare coursing is due to return to Dáil Éireann next month, six years after it was introduced.

The Animal Health & Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020, which aims to finally bring cruel hare coursing to an end in Ireland, will be back on 2nd July 2026 for Second Stage debate and vote. 

The bill – which was co-signed by Richard Boyd Barrett TD and then TDs Gino Kenny, Mick Barry, Brid Smith, Joan Collins and Catherine Connolly – was first introduced on 16 September 2020.

At the time, Deputy Murphy condemned coursing as “a cruel, barbaric and outdated practice”.

“It has been banned across Britain and Northern Ireland and across all of the EU, apart from three countries, including Ireland,” he stated.

Most people in Ireland want this cruel bloodsport banned - as confirmed repeatedly by opinion polls over the years.

Please join us in contacting TDs and party leaders and urging them to side with the compassionate majority and support this bill.

Coursing causes huge disturbance to the Irish Hare species and each of the thousands of hares netted from the wild and forced to run for their lives suffer fear and stress. The ordeal compromises the welfare of all of the hares and negatively impacts their subsequent chances of survival. The stress-related illness, capture myopathy, can claim the lives of hares in the days and weeks after coursing has concluded.

Every coursing season, hares who are caught and pinned to the ground suffer injuries so severe, they die or are euthanised by coursing club vets.

Hares are being terrorised, injured and killed for a cruel gambling activity, carried out for the amusement of a merciless minority who enjoy seeing defenceless animals being chased.

In a submission to TDs, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports is highlighting the suffering and death in coursing and fears for the future of this iconic species in the midst of a government-declared Biodiversity Emergency.

The Irish Hare must be protected, not persecuted. It's finally time for a ban on coursing.

TAKE ACTION

Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein and tell them that you want 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/
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

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

Email Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein TDs and urge them to back a ban on hare coursing.

Fianna Fail TDs

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

Fine Gael TDs

catherine.callaghan@oireachtas.ie;david.maxwell@oireachtas.ie;joe.cooney@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;barry.ward@oireachtas.ie;jennifer.carrollmacneill@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;noel.mccarthy@oireachtas.ie

Sinn Fein TDs

natasha.newsomedrennan@oireachtas.ie; cathy.bennett@oireachtas.ie; matt.carthy@oireachtas.ie; donna.mcgettigan@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; 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; maurice.quinlivan@oireachtas.ie; sorca.clarke@oireachtas.ie; joanna.byrne@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

Sample Letter
(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter)

Dear Deputy,

I implore you to help bring cruel hare coursing to an end in Ireland by voting in favour of Paul Murphy TD’s Animal Health & Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020 when it returns to the Dail on 2nd July for Second Stage debate and vote. 

Under licence from the Department of Heritage, coursers net thousands of hares from the wild, transport them in boxes to coursing compounds, manhandle them, hold them in captivity for weeks/months and eventually force them to run for their lives in front of greyhounds.

All the hares suffer fear and stress and, despite the muzzling of the dogs, hares are injured and killed every coursing season when they are caught and mauled. Among the injuries documented are broken back, spinal injury, broken legs, damaged toes and dislocated hips.

Hares suffer at all stages – during capture, while held captive and at the coursing meetings where they can be seen desperately running as a merciless mob cheer the dogs on and gamble on which will be first to force the hare to change direction. Coursing compromises the welfare of hares and those who survive the ordeal remain at risk of dying from stress-related capture myopathy in the days and weeks after they are released back to the wild.

With the suffering, stress, injury and death caused to hares at coursing meetings, there should be no hesitation in finally ending this shameful activity. This would be widely welcomed by the 77% majority of Irish citizens who want coursing banned (just 9% disagree with a ban. Source: RED C poll).

Ireland is in the middle of a biodiversity crisis and it’s time for the iconic Irish Hare to be given full protection and allowed to live free from persecution. 

Please support the Animal Health & Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020 on 2nd July.

Thank you. I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

[Name/Address]

Please also get in touch with your local TDs and urge them to pledge support for a ban. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/34

SEE ALSO
Paul Murphy TD introduces bill to ban cruel hare coursing
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2020/09/16/paul-murphy-td-introduces-bill-to-ban-cruel-hare-coursing/

Witness the cruelty of hare coursing in Ireland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntgYjH06czs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVIKc2CS4ko

Please support our campaign with a donation
https://www.paypal.me/banbloodsports
http://revolut.me/icabs