Hunt Meet

doctor evil

Ward Union HAI Monster Rally
For Trim Monday 14th of December

Christy Reynolds, The Ward Union Hunt Chairman, has called a Monster HAI Rally to be held in the Trim Castle Hotel, Trim on Monday week the 14th December at 8pm. “The battle begins here. We have been planning our campaign quietly behind the scenes but it goes public from here” said Reynolds. He continued, “If John Gormley thinks he is going to end the Ward Union without this Government facing a massive backlash he is kidding himself.”
It is reported that the Ward Union were advised not do any public campaigning until the budget was over. The purpose of the Monster Rally is to gather all those who support hunting, fishing and shooting in the Northeast and inform them of the campaign strategy for the first six months of 2010.
Giving the campaign its full backing, HAI Chairman, David Lalor said “I am of the view the Ward Union Hunt will be around longer than the Green Party but we must all take a stand now. This battle is everyone’s battle and December 14th in Trim is the battle cry for all who love country pursuits.”
Ronan Griffin, Secretary of the Ward Union says “This is as much a media event as a political rally and we expect the TV news cameras will be at the rally.” He went on, “It is not about speaking to hunting people it is about starting the campaign to win support from the wider public.”
All local TDs from both Meath Constituencies and North County Dublin are invited. It will be interesting to see if Minister Noel Dempsey attends as it is reported that, contrary to what he says publicly, it is the view of some in the WUH that he has not been supportive of hunting at the cabinet table. “Politicians of all parties in the constituencies are being invited and my colleague Oliver Russell is looking after those arrangements”, says Chairman Reynolds. “I know people are very annoyed and vexed but we will still ask all attendees to respectfully listen to the TDs. We have to find out, particularly from the Government Party TDs, what is their position on the Ward Union?”
The Ward Union nor HAI would not confirm the speaker line up for the rally but says it will be very different from other previous HAI rallies. But the Irish Field has learned that Francis Lally, who has organised and lead the Anti Pylon campaign so successfully in the Royal County, will be one of the speakers and there is speculation that Gavin Duffy, fresh from his Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice duties will be one of the other main speakers

finbarrk

Hope it's well supported. There was a good letter to John Gormley, etc. in the Sunday Independent today signed by the jockey Paul Carberry.

finbarrk

How did that go in Trim does anyone know?

doctor evil

There is a thread in the Shooting/Hunting Forum

From the Irish Times:
Quote:
Hunt ban Bill is 'Green tail wagging FF dog', meeting told
RONAN McGREEVY in Trim

THE ONLY licensed hunt in the country has been “thrown to the wolves” by the Government to keep the Fianna Fáil-Green Party Coalition together, a public meeting was told last night.

There was standing-room only in the Trim Castle Hotel for the meeting, called to protest against a proposed Bill that would outlaw stag hunting and therefore outlaw the Ward Union Hunt based in Co Meath.

Ward Union Hunt chairman Christy Reynolds said the decision to include a ban on stag hunting in the renegotiated Programme for the Government was a sop by Fianna Fáil to the Green Party and its leader, John Gormley.

“With a stroke of a pen they can take away 155 years of enjoyment and hunting,” he said.

The organisers delayed the start of the meeting by 20 minutes because of traffic jams due to protesters trying to access the venue. About 800 people from hunting associations across the country attended.

Hunting Association of Ireland chairman David Lalor said the number was “just a fraction” of those in the hunting community who supported the Ward Union.

Farmers’ Journal editor and former chairman of the Kildare Hunt, Matt Dempsey, said there were more people at last night’s meeting than would be at a Green Party convention.

Former chairman of Meath County Council and Fianna Fáil councillor Nick Killian said the proposed ban was “the Green tail wagging the Fianna Fáil dog” and he was “disgusted” with his party for supporting the ban.

Television personality and businessman Gavin Duffy said the most that hunting protesters could muster for a demonstration would be 12. “We could bring 120,000 to the gates of Leinster House if we wanted. We need Fianna Fáil to know that they are messing with the wrong people,” he said.

He said it was “shockingly disappointing” that Trim TD and Government Minister Noel Dempsey, who negotiated the Programme for Government, had not turned up.

He had “insulted” his constituents and showed where he stood on the issue of the ban. “He needs to know he has made a serious political error,” Mr Duffy added.

Other TDs from Meath and North Dublin attended, with the exception of North Dublin Green TD Trevor Sargent.

Meath East Fianna Fáil TD Thomas Byrne said he was not comfortable with the proposed ban, but would be supporting the Government. “I’m not a rebel,” he said, but he added that Fianna Fáil would not stand for any other prohibitions on hunting.

Dublin North TD Darragh O’Brien said he would bring the message of the meeting back to Government.

fairplay

I can't share your sentiments...terrorising stags for fun is not even remotely sport. It's about to be banned, and good riddance to one of the most cruel and evil practises ever devised by a sick human mind. King George the IV of England invented it during one of his really bad spells.

I have nothing personal against the hunters themselves, but the stags have to be protected from this insane practise...and so do foxes and hares need to be protected from recreational cruelty...for that is by definition what bloodsports are all about.

Re demos and marches for hunting...come on guys! If the government didn't give in to well-organised national Days of Action, strikes etc from powerful lobbies, what are the chances a bunch of horn-blowers in circus garb will bring them to heel?

Of course the staghunters have a few heavy hitters...bankers, property developers, legal eagles...all absolute charmers.

But right will prevail this time...one bloodsport is about to be axed, the first of many. I will cheer loudly when this monster is led to the Block of Shame for beheading.

Carted Stag Hunting. RIP. Yes, folks, there definitely is a Santa Claus!

Censorsh!t

Completely agree with fairplay.

In a sport both teams will know it's a game.

Tradition and heritage is not an excuse to keep this bloodsport alive. Dog fighting was once part of our heritage, should we bring that back?

It was completely sickening to these people on the radio going on about how it was a sport and when asked was it for entertainment that they hunted, they could not answer. Because obviouslym yes, it's for entertainment, so it's just pointless cruelty.

All these people saying their horses and dogs will have to be put down...drag hunting exists! Maybe people won't get the thrill of having killed an animal, but the thing is, drag hunting is humane.

People were arguing that the animal being chased isn't scared...why is it running for it's life then??

I'm hoping to God that hunting is banned!!

doctor evil

A thousand people were at the hunt meeting. It's the thin edge of the wedge as far as I'm concerned.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2009/1219/1224260952010.html

kildareman09

there was more there then a thousand people i was there myself and i think gormely should be doing better things with his time then trying to stop us having two hunts a week if the greens had there way they would ban every blood sport :mad::mad::mad:

convert

We welcome people with both points of view posting in this thread. However, we'd like to remind you that posters should remain civil and polite at all times. Anyone who fails to do this will receive a ban from the forum. This post is a warning to everyone.

fairplay

Following is a statement issued by the group known as FAFT...Farmers Against Foxhunting and Trespass. I don't agree with everything Mr. Lynch has to say...and I TOTALLY DISAGREE with his view about farmers shooting hounds that stray from hunts onto their land, but his overall point is interesting as it shows that not all farmers are happy with hunts galloping across their lands!

Statement from Philip Lynch, Chairman, Farmers Against Foxhunting and Trespass (FAFT)

I was sent a copy of an advertisement published in a Meath newspaper. It was offering horses for rent with the local foxhunt. This kind of activity is criminal: It is nothing more than inviting people to trespass and vandalise their neighbours’ crops and fences, damaging farmers’livestock and putting them at risk of being sued by all and sundry. Am I glad I do not have a neighbour with no shame like that!

As if that was not enough in these tough times, another one arrived with an article from the Meath Chronicle dated October 31st. This quoted a statement that the IFA was in favour of foxhunting and backing the Ward Union Stag Hunt against Minister John Gormley’s proposed ban.

Nothing could be further from the truth. As a farmer, an IFA chairman and someone on HQ committees for over twenty years I know that no farmer wants his land and his livelihood damaged. None of the great racehorse breeders want them next or near their studs. They ring up members of FAFT to stop them coming into their area. Nobody wants the foxhunts- not in villages and not roads causing accidents and injury.

This is 2009, not 1809, and we farmers are no longer tenants at the will of the landlord. Food production is up five-fold since World War II and we are now commercial farmers. No trespassers are welcome. Industry won’t allow you in work areas; there are signs up that have to be obeyed. Why do the hunt riff-raff think they can walk on farmers and country people’s rights?

Just because they may have the local District Justice, senior councils, solicitors, and other self-elevated persons riding with them does not mean they can vandalise people’s property.

We farmers are at our wits end trying to keep them out. Farmers in all parts of the country have had to shoot dogs to stop them harming farm animals. We have a bill of E32,000 against a hunt for the destruction of a whole herd of pedigree Suffolk sheep. Another farmer is owed for two heifers that were run unto a road where a car crashed into them. Others are owed for the destruction of winter crops and grassland. Have you hunters no conscience…? Pay up, we say.

Is the IFA anti-farmer? How did this so-called Countryside Alliance Committee worm its way into the IFA woodwork? It is not elected by members so it has no mandate from farmers. It is nothing more than a con job foisted on hard working people… money dangled in front of money-hungry staff- 30 pieces of silver selling the farmers down he Swannie.

IFA…you should be ashamed…leaving the farmer to defend his own farm, his crops, his livestock, and his livelihood on his own. Unless the new IFA President makes drastic changes, why oh why “keep a dog and bark yourself”?

We farmers nationwide support John Gormley 100% to ban all arrogant hunting vandals from our farms. It is against all health regulations…for the TB scheme and to ensure healthy stock there must be no disease-carrying dogs.

We could all be happy: farmers, the IFA, and hunts if drag hunting were pursued on the hunters’ own lands, racecourses etc. This is our compromise…and let the hunters pay for all their damage.

Let’s ban fox hunting and stag hunting as they have done in England, Scotland, and Wales…and get these hunters off OUR lands.

To members of all hunts we say: your vandalism is not acceptable.

Philip P, Lynch,
Chairman,
Farmers Against Fox Hunting and Trespass

Sorry for not including a link to that statement from Farmers Against Foxhunting and Trespass:

Here it is:

www.indymedia.ie/article/95180

I don't agree with everything it says, especially in relation to shooting foxhounds that stray onto land, but its overall message is interesting...that many farmers just don't want hunting with hounds on their lands...

convert

Anyone who is posting letters, articles, statements, notices, etc. can you please provide a link to said source. Thanks.