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 turn ...

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 until the creation of the Irish Greyhound Board in 1958, however it still continues to do so in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

National Meetings

The association holds two national meets, the National Meeting at the Clonmel Greyhound Stadium in

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

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 The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

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 70 species of extant mammals in all. The family name comes from "Lepus", hare in Latin. Together with the pikas, the Leporidae constitute the mammalian order Lagomorpha. Leporidae ...

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

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

and

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

. As a result, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht 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 25 km 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, statutory, 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 co ...

. 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, primarily due to the decrease in evening fixture ...

or race in Greyhound racing in Ireland. 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 wa ...

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 Greyhound racing organizations