Ward Union hunt devastated by ban on stag hunting
Ireland’s only stag hunt — the Ward Union — is taking stock after the decision to ban stag hunting in Ireland last night.
Spokesman for the hunt Ronan Griffin said they were all in shock at the vote and needed time to decide what to do next.
The hunt’s executive committee will meet in the next few days.
“We don’t really have a plan B,” he told H&H. “We went into the parliament to fight and win — now we’ve got to make some tough decisions.”
The hunt employs four staff and runs 30 couple of hounds and 150 head of deer.
“It’s devastating for us. Fianna Fail has let us down big time,” he added.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.