Snip Nua was a racing greyhound who featured in the BBC television show ''
Three Men go to Ireland''.
Biography
Born in the spring of 2008, Snip Nua was a racing greyhound who became famous because she featured in the BBC television show ''Three Men go to Ireland'', which was broadcast over the Christmas holidays in December 2009. The show was eagerly anticipated in Ireland as it promised to provide good publicity for both Greyhound racing and Irish tourism, and was even referenced on the Irish tourist board website.
Due to its inclusion in the television programme, Snip Nua's performance at Mullingar Greyhound stadium in the ''Three Men Go to Ireland'' race was watched by an estimated 5-7 million people in the UK alone.
Fior Gael syndicate
Snip Nua was owned by a 16-member
syndicate
A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest.
Etymology
The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French word ''syndic ...
, Fior Gael. In Ireland, syndication is a popular way of spreading the cost and responsibility of greyhound ownership. The Fior Gael syndicate was made up of a group of professionals and business people, among them barristers, lawyers, and journalists. Notable members of the syndicate included Frank McNally, business editor of ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'', and comedian
Dara Ó Briain
Dara Ó Briain ( , ; born 4 February 1972) is an Irish comedian and television presenter based in the United Kingdom. He is noted for performing stand-up comedy shows all over the world and for hosting topical panel shows such as ''Mock the Wee ...
. Ó Briain once described his membership of the syndicate as his worst financial investment.
He claimed that despite owning six dogs in seven years the syndicate had only had one win. At the time of the ''Three Men'' show, Snip Nua was the syndicate's latest dog. She appeared to be a promising racer who might break the syndicate's poor run of success, and in her first races, the young dog indeed put in some strong performances
Death and legacy
Snip Nua's career as a professional racer was short; on 14 December 2009 she was
euthanized
Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...
after sustaining a hock injury at
Harold's Cross Greyhound Stadium.
In early 2010 a series of demonstrations were held at Dara Ó Briain's UK show to try to persuade both him and the BBC to publicly denounce the sport of
greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around an oval track. The sport originates from Hare coursing, coursing. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually a form of windsock) that travels ahead of th ...
due to the dog's death.
See also
*
List of individual dogs
The following is a list of individual dogs.
Actors
Advertising
* Alex the dog, Banjo, portrayed Carlos, an Irish Setter-Golden Retriever mix and star of Stroh Brewery Company, Stroh's beer advertising in the 1980s. Also mentioned in the 1 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nua, Snip
2008 animal births
2009 animal deaths
Individual dogs
Greyhound racing in Ireland
Animal welfare in greyhound racing
Individual animals in Ireland