Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020: Second Stage [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-02
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Barry Heneghan (IND), Dublin Bay North

They are crowded together, bringing and spreading disease at a higher rate than they would naturally in the wild. They suffer broken legs and dislocated hips - some of the footage I have seen is quite gut-turning, to be honest. I am a man who has always loved my animals, from growing up. I cannot imagine that being done to one of my pets. This practice is cruelty with a licence.
The species, the Irish hare, is one of the few mammals that is uniquely our own, as well as the red squirrel and other native species. It is woven into our culture. I would love to see the Irish hare back in the places in my constituency that it never should have disappeared from. It actually was reintroduced. I only found this out recently. It was reintroduced to Bull Island but, sadly, it was brought out again by illegal lamping. There is a real opportunity for that reintroduction to happen. For us in the constituency of Dublin Bay North to get out to Dollymount Beach, is tearmann agus éalú í ón saol gnóthach. Bíonn muid i gcónaí ag breathnú ar ár gcuid scáileán ar líne. Nuair a théann daoine amach chuig áit mar sin, áfach, feicfidh siad giorriacha, sionnaigh agus na hainmhithe nádúrtha ar fad. It is something that can get people out of their heads. I will continue to work with the Government to have the Irish hare reintroduced in my constituency. I spoke to my granny before she passed about being a young girl from the area, going down collecting bottles. That was back before we got rid of the bottle deposit scheme, although I know it is back now. She was collecting bottles with her family, and there were thousands of hares. There is not one now. It is very sad, and this is a UNESCO heritage site.
I thank Deputy Paul Murphy for introducing this Bill, which I support. I am committed to the programme for Government and to financial matters but this is something that I fundamentally believe is wrong. None of this happens on its own. I thank all the campaigners, the National Animal Rights Association, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports and the ISPCA for everything they do. I thank the National Parks and Wildlife Service, everyone who has met and spoken to me, year after year and decade after decade, about a cause that should not have to be argued at all.
In other European countries and in Australia we can see how people are changing their outdated laws. We need to protect our wildlife. I urge everyone, at home and in this House, to look at what once was and what we can still protect. We still have a lot of the great species on Dollymount but I look forward to bringing the Irish hare back. This barbaric practice is out of step with all of the EU countries and it is well past time it was ended.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-02/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:14+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-02