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Greyhound Racing Ireland’s Deputy CEO Philip Peake has now left, it has emerged. His departure comes just months after CEO Gerard Dollard stepped down.
Peake, a former manager at Mullingar greyhound track and the now closed-down Harold’s Cross stadium, had been with Greyhound Racing Ireland for 14 years and was appointed deputy CEO in February 2019.
Four months later, the appalling cruelty and killing in greyhound racing was highlighted to the nation in RTE’s award-winning "Greyhounds running for their lives". The documentary revealed that around 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year in Ireland simply because they are not fast enough to win races. It featured content from a Greyhound Racing Ireland-commissioned report which estimated that, for example, a total of 17,962 greyhounds were culled in 2013, 2014 and 2015. They were killed for “failure to produce qualifying times”, “failure to produce desired entry level times” and for an “unacceptable decline in performance”.
The RTE documentary included horrifying scenes of greyhounds being delivered to a knackery where they were shot in the head and dumped into a skip. One shot dog was seen writhing on the ground as his merciless owner drove away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
The reason for Peake’s departure is unknown. It comes after CEO Gerard Dollard - who once stated “any animal that races at the speed of greyhounds is going to be susceptible to injury" - stepped down in September 2021.
Also gone is Veterinary Director Denis Healy who retired from the role on 31 July 2021, less than four years after he joined Greyhound Racing Ireland. Among his stated roles, according to GRI, was to “promote policies and a culture that ensures high welfare standards”.
Previously, in December 2020, Greyhound Racing Ireland board member Pat Creed resigned over “corporate governance issues”.
The Irish Examiner reported in January 2021 that Pat Creed “a former board member of the agency with responsibility for greyhound racing in Ireland has called for statutory investigations into alleged issues regarding corporate governance at the body.”
One of the issues related to “a dispute between Clonmel Greyhound Stadium and Greyhound Racing Ireland over a sum of roughly €500,000.”
Mr Creed was quoted as saying that he had been “raising this issue for some time…but could not get a satisfactory answer”. He said he “refused to sign the accounts last year until this was fully resolved”.
“I resigned from the Board in December 2020...due to corporate governance breaches that the chairman refused to have my concerns independently investigated,” he stated.
The Sunday Times reported in July 2021 that Pat Creed also “raised concerns about the veterinary treatment available at last year’s Irish Derby [at Shelbourne Park stadium] after the favourite suffered a serious injury.”
The Times said he had “serious concern” over the incident and questioned if “appropriate veterinary treatment” was available.
The 2-year-old greyhound named Pestana was seen tumbling to the ground after a collision at the first bend. According to a Racing Post report, “initial suggestions [were] that he had suffered a bad break” before he was carried off the track.
In February 2020 - less than a year after his appointment - Gary Brown also resigned from the Irish Greyhound Board.
Last year, the Sunday Times confirmed that Greyhound Racing Ireland's Wayne McCarthy (who had shamefully referred to Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns as "an ignorant little girl”) "resigned from his position as chairman of Greyhound Racing Ireland’s regulation committee". He remained as a GRI board member.
Also gone is a manager of Shelbourne Park - Dublin’s last remaining greyhound track. As reported by the Greyhound Star website in September 2021, Patrick Flynn left after nearly 12 years as a Sales, Marketing, Commercial and Operations Manager at the track. The reason for the departure is unknown.
“No other details are forthcoming and I understand that his departure is subject to a gagging agreement,” Greyhound Star reported, adding “this news will come [as] a shock to many thousands of people within the industry who have experienced [his] enthusiasm, knowledge and drive.” It went on to say that “despite cutbacks and serial mismanagement by the Irish Greyhound Board with its string of CEOs of various abilities and chairmen of questionable knowledge of, or passion for greyhound racing, Patrick and [his wife] kept Shelbourne on the road.”
ACTION ALERT
Don’t go greyhound racing. Please join us in urging the government to end the state funding that is keeping the dying greyhound “industry” afloat.
Since 2001, Greyhound Racing Ireland has been granted more than a QUARTER OF A BILLION EUROS, including €16.8 million for 2020, €19.2 million for 2021 and €17.6 million for 2022. This is unacceptable and must be stopped.
Please contact your local TDs and urge them to oppose this funding. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33
Urge the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party and Sinn Fein to stop the funding and back a ban on cruel greyhound racing
Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: 021-432 0088
Leinster House: 01–618 4350
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Leo Varadkar TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01-619 4020
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Eamon Ryan TD
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
“Stop state funding to cruel greyhound racing” – Email all Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour Party TDs.
Fianna Fáil TDs
john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie; brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie; aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; michael.moynihan.td@oireachtas.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie; sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie; jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie; darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; jack@jackchambers.ie; anne.rabbitte@oireachtas.ie; eamon.ocuiv@oireachtas.ie; james.lawless@oireachtas.ie; sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie; sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie; barry.cowen@oireachtas.ie; willie.odea@oireachtas.ie; niall.collins@oireachtas.ie; Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie; dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie; thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie; marc.macsharry@oireachtas.ie; jackie.cahill@oireachtas.ie; mary.butler@oireachtas.ie; james.browne@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.murnaneoconnor@oireachtas.ie; cathal.crowe@oireachtas.ie; james.oconnor@oireachtas.ie; padraig.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; christopher.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; paul.mcauliffe@oireachtas.ie; john.lahart@oireachtas.ie; cormac@cormacdevlin.ie; normafoley1@eircom.net; joe.flaherty@oireachtas.ie; Stephen.Donnelly@oireachtas.ie
Fine Gael TDs
JohnPaul.Phelan@oireachtas.ie; Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie; joe.carey@oireachtas.ie; david.stanton@oir.ie; colm.burke@oireachtas.ie; michael.creed@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie; joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie; richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie; Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Farrell@oireachtas.ie; emer.higgins@oireachtas.ie; neale.richmond@oireachtas.ie; josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.carrollmacneill@oireachtas.ie; Ciaran.Cannon@oireachtas.ie; hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie; Brendan.Griffin@oireachtas.ie; bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie; Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie; charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie; kieran.odonnell@oireachtas.ie; Patrick.O’Donovan@oireachtas.ie; peter.burke@oireachtas.ie; fergus.odowd@oireachtas.ie; alan.dillon@oireachtas.ie; michael.ring@oireachtas.ie; helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie; damien.english@oireachtas.ie; frank.feighan@oireachtas.ie; paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie
Green Party TDs
Eamon.Ryan@greenparty.ie; catherine.martin@oireachtas.ie; patrick.costello@oireachtas.ie; francisnoel.duffy@oireachtas.ie; neasa.hourigan@oireachtas.ie; brian.leddin@oireachtas.ie; steven.matthews@oireachtas.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie; joe.obrien@oireachtas.ie; marc.ocathasaigh@oireachtas.ie; roderic.ogorman@oireachtas.ie;
ossian.smyth@oireachtas.ie
Sinn Fein TDs
john.brady@oireachtas.ie; pat.buckley@oireachtas.ie; Sean.Crowe@oireachtas.ie; david.cullinane@oireachtas.ie; Pearse.Doherty@oireachtas.ie; dessie.ellis@oir.ie; kathleen.funchion@oireachtas.ie; martinkennysf@gmail.com; MaryLou.McDonald@oireachtas.ie; denise.mitchell@oireachtas.ie; imelda.munster@oireachtas.ie; eoin.obroin@oireachtas.ie; donnchadh.olaoghaire@oireachtas.ie; aengus.osnodaigh@oireachtas.ie; louiseoreillysf@gmail.com; maurice.quinlivan@oireachtas.ie; Brian.Stanley@oireachtas.ie; mark.ward@oireachtas.ie; chris.andrews@oireachtas.ie; martin.browne@oireachtas.ie; matt.carthy@oireachtas.ie; sorca.clarke@oireachtas.ie; roseconwaywalsh@eircom.net; reada.cronin@oireachtas.ie; pa.daly@oireachtas.ie; paul.donnelly@oireachtas.ie; mairead.farrell@oireachtas.ie; thomas.gould@oireachtas.ie; johnny.guirke@oireachtas.ie; claire.kerrane@oireachtas.ie; padraig.maclochlainn@oir.ie; johnny.mythen@oireachtas.ie; ruairi.omurchu@oireachtas.ie; darren.orourke@oireachtas.ie; patriciaryan975@gmail.com; pauline.tully@oireachtas.ie
Labour Party TDs
sean.sherlock@oireachtas.ie; aodhan.oriordain@oireachtas.ie; duncan.smith@oireachtas.ie; gerald.nash@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Kelly@oireachtas.ie; brendan.howlin@oireachtas.ie; ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie
Watch RTE’s award-winning “Greyhounds Running For Their Lives” documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM