A disturbing photograph showing a boy waving a betting slip during a GAA club fundraiser at a greyhound track has been removed from Facebook.
The image, posted to the Bandon GAA page last week, prompted fresh calls to the GAA to intervene to stop its member clubs fundraising at gambling venues.
The Bandon GAA fundraiser at Curraheen Park - a gambling venue where dogs suffer and die - was promoted as "a great night out for young & old".
The boy in the photo clutched the betting slip while holding his other hand to his head. Comments left next to the photo by individuals connected to Bandon GAA club suggested the greyhound he was watching did not win - "The emotions...He thought he would come home loaded".
Bandon GAA encouraged youngsters to attend the track fundraiser, offering free entry to children under 16 years of age. Given recent revelations about gambling addiction problems within the GAA, it is highly inappropriate for GAA clubs to choose gambling venues as fundraising locations. It is also wrong to bring children to a venue where they may very well see dogs falling, writhing on the ground in agony and crying out in pain.
Curraheen Park is one of the worst tracks in Ireland for greyhound injuries and death. In the past three and a half years, 83 greyhounds suffered injuries there and 30 died or were killed. Nationwide, in the same period, 1,369 greyhounds suffered injuries, with 438 destroyed.
In an email to the GAA, ICABS stated: "The GAA has a duty to protect its players and this must include prohibiting club fundraisers at greyhound tracks. Allowing GAA clubs to expose children to a gambling environment is at odds with the GAA's stated concerns about the growing problem of gambling in Ireland and it undermines efforts to educate players about gambling addiction."
Fundraisers at greyhound tracks are helping to keep the cruel greyhound industry afloat - the track takes a 30-40 per cent commission from ticket sales and also profits from gambling and food/drink sales on the night.
Greyhound racing is also sustaining the cruel bloodsport of hare coursing - all greyhounds used in track racing are registered with the Irish Coursing Club and the registration fees help fund coursing activities. In coursing, thousands of hares are snatched from the wild every year for use as live bait for greyhounds at coursing meetings. Hares are terrorised while desperately running for their lives and there are injuries and deaths due to maulings.
As sports clubs struggle to raise funds for vital equipment and improvements to their grounds, the government has just granted €16.8 million to the Irish Greyhound Board for 2019, despite all its tracks losing money - largely due to plummeting attendance and sponsorship. This squandering of public funds must stop - the money needs to be diverted to sports clubs, health groups, animal rescue centres and other worthy causes crying out for support.
ACTION ALERT
Join us in urging the GAA to tell member clubs to reject greyhound racing as a form of fundraising.
Email: queries@gaa.ie
Leave a comment on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/officialgaa
Tweet to @officialgaa
Appeal to Bandon GAA to show compassion for the animals and say NO to greyhound track fundraising.
Bandon GAA
Email: pro.bandon.cork@gaa.ie
Tel: 086 467 9884
Leave a comment on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BandonGaa/
Tweet to @BandonGAA
Sign and share our petitions
Irish Government: Stop Giving Millions of Euro to Cruel Greyhound Industry
https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euro-to-cruel-greyhound-industry
Stop supporting the cruel greyhound industry
https://www.change.org/p/stop-supporting-the-cruel-greyhound-industry
Watch our campaign video
Why you should say NO to greyhound track fundraisers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjRIa0Jc_DA
Don't attend greyhound races or fundraisers/hen parties/office parties held at greyhound tracks.
The cruel and crumbling greyhound industry has received nearly a quarter of a billion euros of taxpayers' money since 2001 (including €16 million for 2018 and €16.8 million for 2019). Urge Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to end funding to the greyhound industry and instead direct the money to charities and other deserving causes. Email "Stop funding the cruel greyhound industry" to taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie, paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, minister@per.gov.ie
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie, finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: @campaignforLeo
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/
Paschal Donohoe TD
Minister for Finance
Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, minister@per.gov.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1 6045810
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaschalDonohoe/
Tweet to @Paschald