The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the national association for

hare coursing Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight, not by scent. In some countries, it is a legal, competitive activity in which dogs are tested on their ability to run, overtake and tur ...

in Ireland. Founded in 1916, it consists of 89 affiliated clubs on the Island of Ireland and acts as the official authority for the Irish variety of the sport. It solely controlled and administrated

Greyhound racing in Ireland Greyhound racing is a popular sport in Ireland. There are 17 stadiums operating in Ireland (two in Northern Ireland) of which nine are fully operated by Rásaíocht Con Éireann / Greyhound Racing Ireland (formerly named Irish Greyhound Board IG ...

until the creation of the

Irish Greyhound Board Greyhound Racing Ireland ( ga, Rásaíocht Con Éireann, formerly ga, Bord na gCon) is an Irish semi-state body charged with regulating and promoting Greyhound racing in Ireland. The organisation has been active in developing the sport in Irela ...

in 1958, however it still continues to do so in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

National Meetings

The association holds two national meets, the National Meeting at the

Clonmel Greyhound Stadium Clonmel Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track located in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland. Racing takes place every Friday and Sunday evening and the facilities include a grandstand restaurant, fast food facilities, a number of bars, ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

in February, being the most important event in the coursing calendar, attracting 10,000 spectators, and claimed by its organisers to be worth up to €16 million for the local economy, and the Irish Cup at the County Limerick Coursing Club a few weeks afterwards.

Conservation

A study in 2010 by Dr Neil Reid at

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

found that the density of hares in ICC preserves was eighteen times higher than in the wild in Ireland. It is claimed by the ICC that without regulated coursing there would be an increase of unregulated illegal hunting. In July 2019,

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease Rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD), also known as viral hemorrhagic disease (VHD), is a highly infectious and lethal form of viral hepatitis that affects European rabbits. Some viral strains also affect hares and cottontail rabbits. Mortality rate ...

(RHD2), a highly contagious disease nicknamed 'rabbit foot and mouth' which is fatal to

Leporidae Leporidae is the family of rabbits and hares, containing over 60 species of extant mammals in all. The Latin word ''Leporidae'' means "those that resemble ''lepus''" (hare). Together with the pikas, the Leporidae constitute the mammalian order ...

(rabbits and hares), was discovered in wild hares in

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

and

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

. As a result, the

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media ( ga, An Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán) is a department of the Government of Ireland. The mission of the department is to promote a ...

suspended capture and tagging licences issued to the ICC and affiliated clubs. RHD2 was found in hares in the counties of Clare, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Leitrim, Meath, Wexford and Wicklow. In August 2019, restrictions were lifted in areas outside of 25km radius prohibited zones surrounding discovery locations which was welcomed by the Club.

Rules

The rules and regulations appertaining to the Irish Coursing Club are stringent, with 178 sections in 9 parts, this is in addition to Acts introduced by the

Law of the Republic of Ireland The law of Ireland consists of constitutional, statute, and common law. The highest law in the State is the Constitution of Ireland, from which all other law derives its authority. The Republic has a common-law legal system with a written const ...

. Every greyhound bred in Ireland is required to have an Irish identity card and requires microchipping. The vast majority of greyhounds bred are either sold to owners within

Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom Greyhound racing is a sport in the United Kingdom. The industry uses a parimutuel betting tote system with on-course and off-course betting available. Attendances have declined in recent years, partly due to the decrease in evening fixtures with ...

or race in

. The much smaller majority remain within coursing. The

Greyhound Board of Great Britain The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) is the organisation that governs licensed greyhound racing in Great Britain. It does not govern independent tracks or Northern Irish tracks and therefore has no jurisdiction over them. History It was f ...

do not allow registered owners to compete in coursing.

External links

ICC official website

References

{{reflist Hare hunting Lepus 1916 establishments in Ireland All-island sports governing bodies in Ireland Nature conservation organisations based in Ireland Sports organizations established in 1916 Hare coursing organisations Greyhound racing in Ireland