Wards lead march on Green's convention

Hundreds of country pursuits and hunt supporters from Meath joined the estimated crowd of 5,000 at the RISE! campaign rally outside the Green Party convention in Waterford at the weekend. RISE! - Rural Ireland Says Enough - is a campaign born out of Green Minister John Gormley's impending legislation to ban the Ward Union Stag Hunt, based at Greenpark in Skryne, which hunts across South Meath and North County Dublin. It was formed jointly last January by the Hunting Association of Ireland and FACE Ireland to promote and defend traditional rural sports from imminent Green legislative threats. Between them, the sixteen supporting organisations represent an estimated 300,000 enthusiasts of traditional rural field sports. Three riders from the Waterford local Woodstown Harriers, and three from the Ward Union Hunt, Pat Coyle, Darren Campbell and Megan Carberry, led a march of 5,000 pro-hunting supporters to protest outside the Green Party convention. The marchers heard speeches from Jim Murphy (Cork), Gavin Duffy (Meath) and Dónal Boyle (Tipperary). The MC on the platform was Tommie Hennessy, master of the Déise Harriers in East Waterford. "We stand here today united, to promote and defend our traditional rural based pastimes, the pastimes that the people of our cities, towns, villages and farms have enjoyed for more than a thousand years," Mr Hennessy stated. "We are hunters on foot and on horseback. We are hunters with guns and with fishing rods. All of us are under threat from the Green Party fanatics. Today, the immediate threat of banning is to the Ward Union Hunt. Tomorrow, if they get away with that, it will be someone else will be their target. Until, eventually, no sport will be left for any of us." RISE! has called for amendments to the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill, currently before the Seanad, to make it a truly anti-puppy farming piece of legislation. It is opposed to John Gormley's proposal to ban the Ward Union Stag Hunt and it is concerned about the implications for farmers and sports people of the proposed Animal Health and Welfare Bill.