Rebel Greyhound Awareness

24/03/2026

Now it's our turn to ban greyhound racing
Letter, Belfast Newsletter: March 23rd 2026

The last week been historic for animal protection in this part of the world. Wales and Scotland have outlawed greyhound racing.

The final vote on legislation to end it was passed by both parliaments within hours of each other, great news for “man’s best friend.”

The Welsh and Scottish triumphs have greatly boosted the Save the Greyhounds campaign in England, but what of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic? The same litany of animal welfare issues that led to bans elsewhere exist here.

In the Republic, thousands of dogs go missing each year in a country that classifies greyhounds as livestock instead of just canines like any other dog breed. Many are culled without ever setting foot on a track, deemed unworthy in their first weeks of life.

Others meet their end due to underperformance, or because their running days are over. Others again are exported to countries that lack even basic welfare standards.

Doping of dogs is widespread here. And then there’s blooding: the practice of using live animals to train greyhounds…hares, rabbits and even cats.

Live baiting has been part of the dark underbelly of greyhound racing in the few countries that allow it.

After the Welsh and Scottish examples the clock is ticking on both sides of the border for this gambling-led industry

When not ill-treated, doped, or blooded, the greyhound is a docile, trusting animal and one that makes an ideal pet.

It deserves better than that this Chamber of Horrors that should never be confused with sport.

John Fitzgerald,
Callan, Co. Kilkenny

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/letters/letter-wales-and-scotland-have-outlawed-greyhound-racing-now-its-our-turn-to-ban-this-practice-which-should-not-be-mistaken-for-sport-6160763

ACTION ALERT

Join us in urging the Irish Government to follow Scotland and Wales in banning greyhound racing.

Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Tel: 01 619 4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
X: http://www.twitter.com/

Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01 281 3727
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris

Please sign and share the petitions

Irish Government: Stop Giving Millions of Euro to Cruel Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euro-to-cruel-greyhound-racing

GAA: Stop club fundraisers at greyhound tracks
https://www.change.org/p/gaa-stop-club-fundraisers-at-greyhound-tracks

Tell Gain Pet Nutrition to Stop Sponsoring Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/jimtracy-glanbia-ie-tell-gain-pet-nutrition-to-stop-sponsoring-greyhound-racing

Watch RTE’s award-winning “Greyhounds Running For Their Lives” documentary
https://youtu.be/ZYTb2qBjlMM

REPORTED GREYHOUND INJURIES AND DEATHS AT IRISH TRACKS

2025: 344 injuries, 197 deaths
2024: 389 injuries, 202 deaths
2023: 257 injuries, 134 deaths
2022: 287 injuries. 122 deaths
2021: 351 injuries. 154 deaths
2020: 255 injuries. 90 deaths
2019: 332 injuries. 119 deaths
2018: 353 injuries. 121 deaths
2017: 357 injuries. 124 deaths
2016: 427 injuries. 139 deaths
2015: 422 injuries. 122 deaths
2014: 266 injuries. 69 deaths (July to Dec 2014)

24/03/2026

24/03/2026

24/03/2026

"If our native hare disappears, we'll have lost a jewel in the crown of our wildlife heritage" - read John Fitzgerald's letter in Dublin People.

Far madder than a March Hare
Letter, Dublin People, March 18 2026

Dear Editor,

I wonder how many of your readers have seen an Irish Hare since the beginning of this month.

They aren't as plentiful as they used to be, but around this time of year you might see their world-renowned courtship rituals that look, from a distance, like ferocious boxing matches.

They chase each other about, sparring and kicking and engaging in "fights" that would make Connor McGregor's best showdowns look tame by comparison.

Hence the old saying: "As mad as a March hare." Not that the hare is madder than the other creatures of field or forest. Madder by far is the way humans have; either unwittingly or by design, acted to put the survival of this iconic mammal at risk.

Modern fertilizers, herbicides, removal of hedgerows and woodland copses, and the loss or partial disappearance of agricultural grassland and bogs that the hare favours...all militate against its long term survival as a species.

Without favourable habitat, it could go the way of so many extinct species, which would be an ecological catastrophe.

Added to these eco-factors we have the gross intrusion into their lives of humans bent on having a fun day out at their expense. A few weeks ago the coursing season ended, after five months of setting dogs on hares, forcing them to twist and dodge at venues nationwide to avoid having their bones crushed.

We need to prioritize the protection of this magnificent animal, a survivor of the Ice Age and a sub-species unique to this island.

If our native hare disappears, we'll have lost a jewel in the crown of our wildlife heritage.

So, next time you see hares boxing or chasing each other, think of how dull whole swathes of our countryside would be without them.

To quote the eminent late politician Des O' Malley, "it's time to let the hare sit!"

Thanking you, Sincerely,
John Fitzgerald

20/03/2026

Shame on Cllr Bobby O'Connell (Fine Gael, Kerry County Council) and Minister Niall Collins TD (Fianna Fail, Limerick County) for attending Day 3 of the "Irish Cup" hare coursing event at Limerick Racecourse on 1 March 2026. These men enjoy watching Irish Hares running for their lives from greyhounds in a bloodsport that the vast majority of Irish citizens want banned.

[Image: Photograph of a page from the Weekly Observer newspaper, 4th March 2026]

ACTION ALERT

Complain to Cllr Bobby O'Connell and Niall Collins TD about their support for cruel hare coursing.

Cllr Bobby O'Connell
Phone: 087-2250177
Email: [email protected]

Niall Collins TD
Phone: 061 300149
Email: [email protected]

18/03/2026

18/03/2026

Greyhound racing is to be banned in Wales after a vote in the Senedd today (17 March 2026).

39 Senedd members voted in favour of the ban, 10 voted against and 2 abstained.

Speaking in the Senedd, Welsh Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds stated: "By passing this bill, we will be saying as a nation that foreseeable and unavoidable harm to animals cannot be justified in the name of sport or in the service of gambling revenues."

The ban will come into effect between 1 April 2027 and 1 April 2030.

Huw Irranca-Davies, the Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, commented: "Wales is a progressive nation, committed to ethical standards and forward-thinking legislation. This Bill strengthens our reputation as a leader on animal welfare and delivers the standards that the people of Wales rightly expect."

The ban was welcomed by the Cut the Chase coalition (comprising Blue Cross, Dogs Trust, Greyhound Rescue Wales, Hope Rescue and RSPCA Cymru).

Dogs Trust chief Owen Sharp described the ban as a "landmark moment" for dog welfare.

Blue Cross UK added: "Today’s decision is a huge step forward for greyhounds. Now it’s time for England to follow Wales’ lead and bring this cruel ‘sport’ to an end."

Read more at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czd899emn1yo

18/03/2026

Greyhound racing will be banned in Wales

06/03/2026

If you're in town (Cork City) please support!

Here we are, rocking the red 😎
Patrick Street until probably around 5.