Foxhounds killed in collision with train; group calls for prosecutions
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has called on Iarnród Éireann to prosecute a Kilkenny hunt for trespass after hounds were killed in a collision with the Dublin to Waterford train.
The hounds were part of a pack taking part in a hunt outside Mullinavat in Co Kilkenny yesterday, when the collision occurred.
A number of hounds were killed and there was a small amount of damage to the train.
Aideen Yourell of the Irish Council Against Blood Sports accused fox hunters generally of an "arrogant and cavalier attitude to trespass onto other people’s property, be it private land, roads and railway tracks".
She called for a ban on foxhunting, saying it "clearly causes a risk to rail and road users. If they want to ride out in the countryside, they should change to drag hunting, where no live quarry is chased and where the route is pre-planned in conjunction with landowners’ wishes."
Richard Power of the Hunting Association of Ireland said that although he could not speak to the incident in question, in general terms he said that landowners are always notified of upcoming events.
"Landowners would all be informed and would know that there would be a hunt in their area," he said. "This is standard practice.
"Indeed, permission would be sought from them regarding access to their land."
The name of the group whose hounds were killed is not known at this stage.
