WELL, IF NOTHING else, at least we’re winning the war on hares. You know, hares. Like rabbits, but big.

Up until this week, Ireland was one of only three EU member states that allowed hare coursing, and following a vote in Dáil Éireann on whether to prohibit the practice, nothing has changed. 125 TDs voted in favour of allowing hare coursing to continue in Ireland, including TDs from Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, and the largest opposition party Sinn Féin. These people don’t tend to agree on much, but when it comes to harming small animals, there’s a sweet spot to be found. 

While the purpose of hare coursing is not to kill the hares, hares are regularly killed during the pursuit. In 2024, a report by The Journal Investigates found that out of 200 hare coursing events in the preceding five years, only four had been monitored by veterinary inspectors sent out by the Department of Agriculture. 

One of the strangest details to emerge amidst this debate is the claim that hare coursing is somehow worth €70 million to the Irish economy. €70 million! Let’s try to figure that one out.

Well, first things first, I suppose you’ve got to purchase the hare, which has to cost at least a few hundred euro. You’ve got to buy a jaunty outfit, of course, maybe a flatcap that says something like ‘Hare today, gone tomorrow’ on it. You’ve got to have your greyhounds, or else how would you make the hare fear for its inconsequential little life? And then of course there are the drinks afterwards. Do that a few times a year and eventually that adds up to €70 million, I guess? Straightforward enough.

The Irish Coursing Club has refused to........

© TheJournal