Hunting Association of Ireland

Waterford Demonstration

A Demonstration is being planned for Saturday morning, March 27th 2010 in Waterford City, outside the Tower Hotel, where the Green Party will be hosting their annual conference. All field sport members are urged to keep the date free as a large turnout is essential
Please contact your local club secretary for further details and travelling arrangements
More information to follow.

RISE Campaign

FACE Ireland and the Hunting Association of Ireland have formed RISE! Rural Ireland Says Enough! to campaign at national, regional and local level to mobilise public and political opinion in support of our traditional field sports and rural pastimes. Together, these organisations represent more than 300,000 adherents of country sports.

Rural Ireland says Enough! It is time to draw a clear line, to resist these threats and to promote our traditional rural way of life.

RISE! is supported by people throughout Ireland who value our distinctive and traditional way of life. They are people who wish to conserve and develop a better way of life for themselves, their children and for future generations. How can you help our campaign?

Please click below to the RISE website and sign the petition online or to download a form.

RISE Campaign

Gormley accused......

Gormley accused of ‘agenda’ in hunt ban
By Grainne Cunningham
Wednesday December 16 2009

ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley is to press ahead with legislation banning stag-hunting with hounds despite mounting opposition from hunting groups across the country.

A spokesman for the minister said yesterday that the heads of the bill were currently being drafted and would be published early in the new year.

Following a mass meeting of hunting groups opposed to the ban in Trim, Co Meath, on Monday night, the spokesman stressed: “This legislation does not have any implications for any other country pursuits such as fox-hunting, hare-coursing or shooting.”

He said Mr Gormley believed that the practice had to end “on animal welfare and public safety grounds”. Last Friday, a stag was put down after running on to a public road during a hunt and colliding with a car.

In another incident in Kildalkey in Co Meath in 2007, a stag being chased by the Ward Union Hunt ran into the grounds of a primary school, provoking complaints from local parents.

Yesterday, spokesman for Ward Union Hunt Ronan Griffin rejected any suggestion that the proposed legislation would affect only stag-hunting. He said the laws being introduced in relation to the maintenance of kennels would be too stringent and expensive for smaller packs to meet, forcing them out of existence.

Jim Murphy Irish Field Letter

Madam, The recent interview with Green Party Deputy Leader, Mary White, in the Irish Field (Dec 19th 2009), will be received with derision and contempt by the Fieldsports community in Ireland. It beggers belief that she should try to present a version of Green Party Policy that is so utterly at odds with the facts. Indeed the animal rights activists in the Green Party have already stated that the ban on fur-farming and stag-hunting is only the beginning and that fishing (angling), shooting and all other fieldsports are next on the list. These are the same people who recently held the country to ransom during the renegotiated Programme for Government.

Trim Castle HAI Rally

Almost two thousand members and supporters of the Ward Union Hunt held a “monster rally” last week in opposition to plans to ban stag hunting.
The hunt, which operates in Co Meath and north Co Dublin, is furious at the ban proposed by Minister for the Environment John Gormley. They have accused him of vindictively singling them out as they are the only licensed stag hunt in the country.
National Hunt jockey Paul Carberry, who is a Ward Union member, wrote an open letter to Taoiseach Brian Cowen last week warning him that Fianna Fail TDs would pay the price at the next election if the ban was implemented.

Primal instinct.......

Primal instinct is a much-loved part of rural life
By CAITRIONA MURPHY
Tuesday December 15 2009

The Ward Union Hunt is once again in the eye of the storm.

After 155 years, the famous stag hunt faces the prospect of being effectively closed down by Environment Minister John Gormley, who wants to revoke the club’s licence to hunt deer.

The 300,000 people who hunt every year fear that Mr Gormley’s intention to outlaw deer hunting with hounds could sound the death knell for all types of hunting.

For the rural community, hunting has always been a part of life, another beat in the annual rhythm of farming, fishing and shooting.

Irish Times Hunting

Kevin O’Connor has a superb article on hunting in the Irish Times. To read visit
Irish Times Hunting Article
and e mail your support to the author

Kevin Myers

Kevin Myers on The Green Party

Kevin Myers has an excellent and hard hitting piece in today’s (Thursday 14th) Independent
You may read by visiting Kevin Myers
E Mail your support by clicking on KevinMyers

Ward Union Press Release

Ward Union To Challenge Attempted Ban

The Ward Union Hunt is gearing up to campaign against the Programme for Government plan to end stag hunting. “We are confident we will have the full support of all involved in hunting , horse racing, shooting, fishing, farming and those living in rural Ireland,” says Christy Reynolds, the Hunt’s Chairman.

The Programme for Government, under the section headed, Animal Welfare, includes an “End to Stag Hunting”. The Ward Union Hunt conserves an original Irish Red Deer Herd. Many people still operate under the misperception that stag are hunted and killed by the W.U.H. On a hunting day a stag is released, recaptured and returned safe and sound to the W.U.H. maintained deer -park reservation.

Each healthy and strong male (stag) in the herd is hunted just once a year, under constant supervision of Department of the Environment Wild Life Officers and Veterinarians. The Stag is health checked before and after a hunt and to date through exhaustive and extensive monitoring, no excess stress levels have been recorded as it is perfectly natural for a flight animal, like a stag, to be hunted. “It will be interesting to see how legally the Government will make a scientific case on welfare grounds that the stag is unduly stressed, when the DOE’s own monitoring has not found that to be the case” concluded Christy Reynolds.

Issued by;

Ronan Griffin
Hon. Secretary

Ward Union Rally

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.”

Stag Hunting Ban?

Ban on deer hunts using hounds a step closer

MARY MINIHAN
(from the Irish Times)
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.

2010 is Membership Year

The Hunting Association of Ireland (HAI) is made up of The Six Hunting with hounds associations and each of those associations pays an annual sub to The HAI which goes some way to the running of The HAI.

Three years ago the associations agreed to form an individual membership section of The HAI which all hunt club members and supporters could join by paying an annual membership fee.

In 2009 our aim is to have a major membership drive. If you support HAI by joining and paying what is a modest annual membership fee, HAI will not only be able to be more efficient at it’s political work but will be able to expand its promotional campaign into the future.
We have a new membership office in place and when you join we will send you a membership card, you will be placed on our news update systems on text and e-mail. HAI has also negotiated a very good individual insurance package with IFA Countryside at great value for the forth coming season.

Hounds in full flight for the senior trailing

International Hunting Festival Punchestown

For all hunting folk and indeed many others Punchestown was the place to be last weekend for the inaugural running of The International Hunting Festival.
The brainchild of Eddy Cahill ,HAI Fundraiser, it was envisaged as a way of bringing hunting people from all backgrounds and codes together where they would each in their own way show off their wares. In this the festival was a huge success with all branches and codes well represented. And international… well ponyclubbers were there in their hundreds from England, Ireland ,Scotland and Wales running their pony club games over the two days. View the Photo gallery for more photo’s or visit
Catherine Power Photos www.foxtrot.ifp3.com

Election Wipe Out for Green Party

Any party with such an extreme policy on animal rights is bound to suffer the consequences from the Irish Electorate.

Many of us who enjoy country sports are strong environmentalists and would support Green Party policies on many issues but because ‘The Greens’ have adopted an animal rights agenda we won’t have any thing to do with them. There is also no place in an Irish Government for a political entity that has such strong links to extreme animal rights groups.

The Hunting, Shooting and Fishing lobby is very strong in both rural and urban Ireland and we believe we have had a major say in disposing of a green party that has tried to bully a totally unsustainable animal rights agenda into sectors of Irish life.

We will use our very strong voice against any unsustainable animal rights based policy and we will not tolerate so called animal welfare organisations with connections to animal rights groups having anything to do with administering government legislation.

Animal Rights is now one of the greatest threats facing a sustainable bio-diverse countryside such as ours.

HAI Membership

2010 is Membership Year
The Hunting Association of Ireland (HAI) is made up of The Six Hunting with hounds associations and each of those associations pays an annual sub to The HAI which goes some way to the running of The HAI.

Three years ago the associations agreed to form an individual membership section of The HAI which all hunt club members and supporters could join by paying an annual membership fee.
In 2010 our aim is to have a major membership drive. If you support HAI by joining and paying what is a modest annual membership fee, HAI will not only be able to be more efficient at it’s political work but will be able to expand its promotional campaign into the future.

Summer Newsletter

Please find below the summer newsletter. I hope you find this interesting and informative.

TD'S ,Senators and MEP's

Below is a link which will allow you to contact all public representatives in Ireland. Also included are some sample letters

Write to your TD at: Dail Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street,
Dublin 2. Tel: 01-618 3000 or 1890 337 889.

Write to your Senator at: Seanad Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare
Street, Dublin 2.Tel: 01-618 3000 or 1890 732 623.

If you ring ask to speak to your public representative.If he or she is not available leave your message with their secretary and ask the TD to ring you back. All calls are logged and your TD will be aware of the number of calls in connection with any particular issue.

For the names , home adresses and contact details of politicians, please visit
Irish Government Website.
and follow link to 30th Dail and your constiuency

2010 HAI Calendar

Calendar is available to purchase online, €12.50 this includes postage. Orders over 10 or any queries please contact 085 1100645.

Hunting DVD's for Sale

Hunting in Ireland DVD’s are available to purchase online, €25.00 including postage.

Hunting in Ireland Volumn 1 – Leinster
The Kildare Foxhounds
The Island Hunt
The Carlow Farmers’ Hunt
The Laois Foxhounds
The Kilkenny Foxhounds

Hunting in Ireland Volumn 2 – Munster

The County Limerick Foxhounds
The Pallaskenry Beagles
The Scarteen – The Black and Tans
The Limerick Harriers
The West Waterford
The Duhallow Foxhounds

New HAI/IFA Countryside Membership Package

HAI have recently had successful negotiations with IFA Countryside to form a partnership between IFA and HAI. This means that for just €55, you can enjoy HAI membership as well as the IFA countryside personal accident insurance package which also includes other benefits. Join online or contact Dickie Power on 0851100645

HAI News