Hunting supporters protest to Irish prime minister
Two hundred supporters of Irish hunting took part in a demonstration this morning (12 April) as the Irish prime minister visited Roscrea, in County Tipperary.
The prime minister or Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, who was there to officially open a new leisure centre, was greeted by members of Rural Ireland Says Enough (RISE!) waving placards.
RISE! was formed in January by 16 Irish hunting organisations to promote and defend hunting, coursing, shooting and angling against Green Party proposals.
A spokesman for RISE! said: “Today’s demo is a wake up call to the Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil that they are being sleepwalked into legislative attacks on hunting and other traditional rural sports by a tiny, unrepresentative Green Party.”
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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.