Aontú is being urged to vote in favour of the Animal Health & Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill this Wednesday, 8th July.
According to a report in The Journal last week, the party "has yet to make a decision" on how it will vote https://www.thejournal.ie/hare-coursing-bill-pbp-7087511-Jul2026/
In an appeal to the party, we stated: “There is absolutely no justification for the continuation of a bloodsport which involves rounding up thousands or hares from the wild, holding them in captivity and forcing them to run for their lives from dogs. Hare coursing is banned in all our neighbouring jurisdictions and the vast majority of people in Ireland want it ended (77% in favour of a ban and just 9% disagreeing with a ban).”
In a previous submission to Aontú TDs, Peadar Tóibín and Paul Lawless, we pointed out that every coursing season, hares are hit and mauled and some suffer injuries so severe that they die or are destroyed by coursing club vets.
We also highlighted that all the captured hares suffer stress and fear and that the hares who survive the coursing ordeal, and are released, are at risk of later dying from stress-related capture myopathy.
Last year, Deputy Lawless was quoted in the Irish Mail on Sunday as saying “it is very important that we look after animals" and "animal welfare is so fundamentally important”. During a 2018 Dáil debate on the Heritage Bill, Deputy Tóibín stated: “We have a symbiotic relationship with nature, the natural world is vital for human well-being and biodiversity is an urgent issue."
Join us in urging Aontú to side with the compassionate majority and vote in favour of the Animal Health & Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill on Wednesday.
Email: info@aontu.ie
Telephone: 01 618 3564 or 046 902 3472
Peadar Tóibín TD (Meath West)
Leader, Aontú
Email: Peadar.Toibin@oireachtas.ie
Tel: (01) 618 3518 / (046) 902 3472
Paul Lawless TD (Aontú, Mayo)
Email: paul.lawless@oireachtas.ie
Tel: (01) 618 4104
Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein. Tell them to vote in favour of the Animal Health & Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill on 8th July.
Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Tel: 01 619 4000
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
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
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
X: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Email/Telephone Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein TDs - find contact details at
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2026/07/04/tell-your-tds-to-support-the-ban-on-hare-coursing-bill-this-wednesday-8th-july/
Watch our campaign videos
Support Paul Murphy TD's bill to ban coursing on July 8th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KeqcHBNYis
The suffering of hares during 2025 26 coursing season
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jN3OMM7_UY
Please support our campaign with a donation
https://www.paypal.me/banbloodsports
http://revolut.me/icabs