EDITOR – After the staging of the three-day National Hare Coursing meeting, I’ve listened to local radio commentary reminding us that hare coursing is not only still legal in Ireland, but also commands strong cross-party support in the Dáil. A leading supporter opined that a ban would just drive it underground.
I’m not impressed by that argument. The same excuse was offered by advocates of cock fighting, dog fighting and badger baiting prior to their abolition almost two centuries ago. Sure, being illegal doesn’t completely eliminate a given practice. But nobody argues for the scrapping of drink-driving laws simply because some drivers still ignore them and continue to drive recklessly.
Fans of the ‘sport’ boasted of a large crowd at the coursing finals, but professional opinion polls over the years have shown that a big majority of people want coursing banned.
Unfortunately, disliking this activity isn’t not quite the same as feeling strongly enough about it to sacrifice one’s time and energy in opposing it. People tend not to put themselves out over an issue unless it impacts directly on their personal wellbeing, or perhaps on the area in which they live …. water charges and toxic waste disposal being examples.
Those of us who oppose hare coursing need to understand that politicians will only act when the pressure becomes so overwhelming that they can no longer ignore public opinion. This is a simple, brutal fact of political life.
It’s nothing short of a national scandal that this issue is still with us. Aside from the cruelty of coursing – the weeks of unnatural captivity, followed by contrived chases that may involve mauling or bone breakages that don’t heal – there is the fact that the Irish hare has been in decline over the past half century due to habitat loss resulting from urbanisation and modern farming methods.
This is one of our few truly native mammals, a survivor of the last Ice Age. It is a sub-species of the mountain hare that is unique to Ireland. It surely deserves better from our legislators than to have dogs set on it … all for a gamble and laugh.
I’ve been campaigning for 45 years against hare coursing, and have no illusions about the challenge, but I’m conscious that this debate has also run its course in other jurisdictions: New Zealand banned it in 1953, as did all the Australian states in the following three decades. Then, Britain and Northern Ireland banned it in the present century.
A long and bitter road may lie ahead for those who choose compassion over cruelty, but I honestly believe that, one day, a government with guts will end this horror.
John Fitzgerald,
Callan, Co Kilkenny.
Politicians will only act when the pressure is overwhelming, says our reader.
Green housing policies created homelessness
EDITOR – Politicians constantly speak of the necessity to build affordable houses. The standard three bedroom house cannot be bought by a nurse-and-guard couple. They would not qualify for a mortgage loan because they would not have enough income.
At the same time, green build regulations add €100,000 to the cost of a typical house. These building regulations are making people homeless. I shudder to think what health problems these airtight sealed homes will bring in the future. Not to mind burying water pipes under six inches of concrete floor. The legacy of the Green Party.
Michael Hallissey
Mayfield,
Bandon.
Almost 19,000 living with heart disease
EDITOR – February is global congenital heart disease (CHD) awareness month and, to mark the initiative, the charity Heart Children is hosting a conference for young people and adults with the disease.
The Beat Goes On conference, on Saturday February 22nd in Dublin, will offer people impacted by the condition an opportunity to network with their peers, and to meet and ask questions of medical experts.
CHD is where a baby’s heart does not develop correctly during pregnancy and there are almost 19,000 people living with the condition in Ireland.
Indeed, each year, between 500 and 600 babies are born here with CHD, which is more than three times the number of children diagnosed with cancer annually.
There are more than 40 types of CHD, with some children having multiple forms. Half of those born with CHD will require at least one open-heart surgery, while some will need to endure several, during their lifetime.
In many cases, we still don’t know why it happens. However, parents can be reassured that most maternity hospitals in Ireland now offer a pre-natal scan at 20 weeks which can help identify CHD at an early stage.
Over 97% of children with CHD are expected to reach adulthood, and so the very welcome news is that there are more adult patients now living with CHD in Ireland than there are children. Readers who would like more information on the conference, or who wish to register to attend free of charge, can visit www.heartchildren.ie or telephone 01 8740990.
Sheila Campbell,
Chief executive,
Heart Children,
Dublin 7.
Is the law an ass when it comes to driving?
Editor – IT may prove to have been symptomatic of social attitudes when The Southern Star’s leader article and front page come together to condemn the use of mobile phones on the road. Maybe the gospel according to Europe has lost some of its impact? In times past, the coaches I drove were equipped with dashboard handsets that were invaluable for quickly transmitting details of one’s position to facilitate the smooth transition of our passengers.
They were not a means for frivolous social discussions but, to protect us from present day youth, the previous functions are now illegal.
Do I obey the law? Yes. Do I agree with it? No, but such is modern life along with the requirement for road tax and insurance.
Nick Turner,
Drimoleague.
Will lower limits reduce insurance premiums?
EDITOR – With the introduction of lower speed limits on most roads and the subsequent lowering of risk, will motor insurance companies introduce an across-the-board reduction in premiums? No, thought not.
John Smedley,
Dunmanway.
