Irish Times Monday 30th November Waterford Foxhounds http://www.irishtimes.com/indepth/slideshows/waterford-hunt-two/

Hunting Seminar – An Industry and Sport under Threat.

Hunting Seminar – An Industry and Sport under Threat.

At Tattersalls Ireland, Ratoath, Co. Meath on Sunday, 6th December, at 2.30 pm. Hunt members, hunt staff and hunt officials are invited to attend.

For further information, please contact:
James Phelan 087 630 4240, or Joe Griffin 087 295 3276
or e-mail: imfhapro@gmail.com

Ban on deer hunts using hounds a step closer

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1121/1224259235953.html

CABINET HAS approved heads of a Bill which will make deer-hunting with hounds an offence, Minister for the Environment John Gormley has confirmed.

Quad bike and jet-ski activities will be banned in environmentally sensitive locations, and financial penalties for breaches of the Wildlife Acts will be doubled.

An amendment to the 1976 and 2000 Acts will include a provision prohibiting deer hunting with a hound or pack of hounds. This will not have implications for pursuits such as fox-hunting, hare coursing and the shooting of deer.

“One of the reports I received . . . showed deer going across the road just in front of a car. That set off alarm bells for me, and it seemed to me that licensing this was just not feasible, particularly in a built-up, increasingly urbanised area, and that’s why I came to this conclusion,” Mr Gormley said.

Bringing about an end to stag-hunting was a commitment in the programme for government, renegotiated between Fianna Fáil and the Greens last month.

Prior to the agreement, Mr Gormley issued a licence to the Ward Union Hunt in Co Meath allowing hunting to continue until March of next year. This is the only licensed hunt in the country.

At that time, his spokesman said Mr Gormley remained opposed to the practice, but that refusing to issue the licence would require legislative change.

The Minister will get new powers to make regulations to prohibit or regulate the use of jet-skis, quad bikes, scramblers and off-road 4×4 vehicles in environmentally sensitive locations. He said he was amending the legislation to address issues “in relation to which Ireland is at present under pressure from the European Commission on foot of judgments of the European Court of Justice”.

Mr Gormley said Ireland had failed to address the impact of recreational activities that were detrimental to Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protected Areas (SPAs) across the country. “We wanted to make sure that we are not disturbing birds or harming protected flora and fauna,” Mr Gormley said.

Controversies around such activities have arisen in locations such as Lough Derravaragh in Co Westmeath, Mount Leinster and the Slieve Bloom Mountains.

Mr Gormley confirmed exemptions would be made for work vehicles, giving the example of farmers using quad bikes.

Meanwhile, financial penalties for Wildlife Acts breaches will be increased for the first time in almost a decade, having last been amended in the 2000 Act. A breach which would have incurred a fine of €500 will result in a €1,000 penalty, for instance.

The Minister will have powers to prohibit and regulate importation, transport and sale of what he called “invasive” species – African pond weed, wild rhododendron, zebra mussel and grey squirrel.

Hunting Seminar – An Industry and Sport under Threat

Hunting Seminar – An Industry and Sport under Threat.

At Tattersalls Ireland, Ratoath, Co. Meath on Sunday, 6th December, at 2.30 pm.  Hunt members, hunt staff and hunt officials are invited to attend.

For further information, please contact:
James Phelan 087 630 4240, or Joe Griffin 087 295 3276
or e-mail: imfhapro@gmail.com

Hunt Cross country ride

“The Kilmoganny Foxhounds are running a Sponsored Cross Country Ride on
Friday 1st of January 2010. The Sponsored Cross Country Ride will commence
at 12:30pm in Scogh, Co. Tipperary. which is located just outside
Carrick-On-Suir. The Cross Country Ride will be over a new and exciting
course of approx 10 miles with plenty of jumping to suits all levels. Please
pass this on to anyone that you might think would be interested in a fun day
out on New Years Day. Adults 40 euro, children 30 euro. For more information
contact 0862520301 or 0868248451. If you require any sponsorship cards
please email gfrisby@roadplan.ie “

Island Hunt News

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1114/1224258816031.html

AN ELDERLY woman, who was knocked unconscious and suffered injuries after being struck by a “flying” hunt dog as it ricocheted off the bonnet of a car, has been awarded €87,000 damages at the High Court.

Rosemary Skrine (81), secretary of the Island Hunt, suffered head, knee and hip injuries in the accident on the Gorey to Courtown road in Co Wexford on November 29th, 2005.

She claimed she had been standing in the centre of the road, seeking to wave down traffic so as to alert it to a loose dog from the hunt on the wrong side of the road. Her concern was for the safety of the public and she got out of her vehicle, in which she had been following the hunt, and waved to traffic from the middle of the road.

She claimed traffic coming from one side had stopped but a car – driven by Abbas Ahmed – hit the hound in a “very big way”. She in turn was hit by the hound, which later died, and she fell to the road and was knocked unconscious.

Ms Skrine, Ballyrankin House, Bunclody, Co Wexford, brought the action against Mr Ahmed, a bus driver, Brannogue Park, Gorey, and the Island Hunt, with registered office at Sinnottstown Business Park, Drinagh.

President of the High Court Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns yesterday awarded €87,000 to Ms Skrine against Mr Ahmed and ruled that Island Hunt had no case to meet.

The judge praised Ms Skrine on her approach to the case, found she gave a very reliable account of what had happened and did not attempt to exaggerate her claim.

He ruled that she was clearly visible to Mr Ahmed at the time of the incident and should have been seen in the centre of the road.

He said she was a very active woman up to the time of the incident, which had been a major disruption to her life.

Ruling that there was no case against the hunt, he found it was well organised and had taken every precaution.

He held that Mr Ahmed was negligent in the circumstances. The accident had occurred on a quite straight stretch of road in daylight when the hunt was endeavouring to cross the road.

One member of the hunt near the scene was dressed in red and should have been visible to him.

Mr Justice Kearns said significant traffic coming from one side had stopped but, for some reason, Mr Amhed failed to realise the significance of what lay ahead.

Ms Skrine said her husband died in 1966. she had one son and a daughter and lived in a large rambling house. Before November 2005, she bred hunter show horses and acted as a show judge here and internationally.

She was a keen gardener and would be “on the go” all day at that time. She had been secretary of the hunt club for 41 years.

Hunting News Tipperary

opening meet

Hunting News – Tipperary – http://fethard.com/mainpages/cnews.html

A very large crowd of well-wishers and supporters turned out for the opening meet of Tipperary Foxhounds in Fethard on the Bank Holiday Monday. Following the dispensing of the traditional ‘Stirrup Cup’ by Annette and her staff, Huntsman Derry Donegan, with whipper-in Sam Staniland, led off the field from McCarthy’s Orchard.

Ninety-four mounted followers were tallied leaving for Rocklow. Joined by a few late-comers on the Rocklow Road the field totalled just over one-hundred at the first draw. A beautiful day weather-wise provided a typical opening meet day hunting. Short, sharp runs provided a much needed early season pipe-opener for horses and riders. First fox from Rocklow ran down through McCarthy’s bog, crossed the Fethard / Moyglass road and to ground just behind Daly’s fuel depot.
Finding again in Rocklow they ran down again across the Moyglass road and to ground at Ballybough. Rathvin was blank. A small circle was had from Murdoch’s fort, Power’s wood but proved blank. Moving to Ardsallagh they found at the lodge. Hunting around the covert they ran towards the Coolmoyne ball alley .
From Knockgraffon, on Wednesday 28th October, foxes were none too plentiful and hard to find. First draw, at Mr Joe Owens, did hold a brace. First one, however, quickly got to ground, the second being lost after a short circle. Knockgraffon Moate, The sandpit and River Suir bank covert all proved blank as, most surprisingly, did Dr. McCarthy’s plantation. Moving on to Mr Michael Kelly’s hounds found here. After a short circle of the kale they marked to ground in a hedgerow. Here, unfortunately, as huntsman, Derry Donegan, having dismounted received a severe kick from his horse. Whipper-in, Sam Staniland, carried the horn for the rest of the day which finished with a fast twenty-five minutes from close to the New Inn by-pass motorway to beyond Rosemary Clifford’s.

Sam again carried the horn at the children’s meet at Grove. The huge turn-out of kids of all ages enjoyed the afternoons hunting around the estate. Another large field turned out at Lisronagh on Saturday. From Quinlan’s hounds ran to the Baptistgrange road, crossed briefly into Lakefield, re-crossed the road and crossed, what is known to generations of the travelling community as, the ‘green road to the old railway line’ at Rathcanty. They finished a very good day with two circles from Ballyhohan, and around Orchardstown marking to ground on both occasions. Derry, we are glad to report, is making good progress from the two broken ribs he suffered in the unfortunate mishap. He will be out of action for a few weeks. In the meantime Sam is doing an excellent job.

Horse and Hound

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/291192.html

The coalition government of the Green Party and Fianna Fail has vowed to ban stag hunting in Ireland as soon as possible. The Hunting Association of Ireland (HAI) and Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association (IMFHA) have announced that fox hunting will follow if hunt supporters don’t take a more proactive stance.

 On 9 October, the government voted on its programme for government — or mission statement for the coming years — and this included a ban on stag hunting.

 Fox hunting and coursing were not mentioned, but the Green Party’s manifesto states it would like to see a ban on both sports.

 James Phelan of the IMFHA said: “We need to be more politically active so we don’t make the mistakes which allowed hunting to be banned in England and Wales.

 ”Nowhere else on the planet will you find the Tipperary double drains, the Blazers’ stonewalls, the single banks of Waterford and the knife-edge banks of Wexford, combined with the Irish-bred horses and communities involved. 

“The combination of all three is what makes Irish hunting so famous. Rural Ireland is standing up in their thousands to defend these traditions.”

 The Ward Union is Ireland’s only carted stag hunt and, under the terms of the programme for government, would cease to exist.

Ward Union hunt secretary Ronan Griffiths told H&H: “The decision to ban stag hunting has come as a real surprise. Evironment Minister John Gormley installed monitors to report on the condition of our deer and what happens when we hunt. Vets also examine the deer in the park and after hunting.

 ”Their view was that, with tweaks, we can exist in a modern era. Gormley is going against that.”

 He said the hunt would fight the ban through the courts.

 Lyall Plant, chief executive of Countryside Alliance Ireland, said: “The banning of the Ward Union is just the start. We are campaigning throughout Ireland with the HAI and IMFHA.

 ”We have contacted all the hunts, telling them to lobby their TDs [teachtaí dála, member of the Irish parliament] and councillors, and have had a positive reception, but unity is vital among all the country sports. We have got to get together and fight.”

 In 2006, Irish jockeys vowed to strike if a hunting ban was suggested in Ireland (news, 27 April 2006).

Read this news story in full in Horse & Hound (29 October, ‘09)

Letters page on the Irish Independent 17th October