Councillors angry at being target of anti-bloodsports ire

Published: Sun 8 Jan 2023, 9:30 AM

Last updated: Sun 8 Jan 2023, 10:16 AM

Members of Westmeath County Council have spoken out to say how they were insulted by anti-bloodsports supporters after the council rejected a motion in November calling for a ban on hare coursing.

Both Cllr John Dolan and council cathaoirleach, Cllr Aengus O’Rourke, disclosed at the December meeting, held during Christmas week, that they had been targeted in the wake of the November discussion.

Cllr Dolan said that he received a phone call over the vote from a woman the evening after the meeting: “She wasn’t very nice on the phone about our decision; she told me I had ‘no compassion for animals’ – which as a farmer I find very offensive.”

Cllr Dolan went on to say that matters didn’t end there: “I was sent an email; I was sent a WhatsApp video of hare coursing,” he said.

The Fine Gael man said that at the November meeting, the issue had received “a very good airing”, and he did not think it was acceptable that that sort of behaviour took place. He stated that he made the decision to hang up on the caller because of the direction the conversation was taking.

Cllr Dolan said he was long enough in public life to be able to handle debate, but he had a problem being targeted “not once, not twice, but three times”.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” he said. Cllr Aengus O’Rourke stated that he too had received a number of such calls, including one that came while he had his family in the car accusing him “of all kinds of things”, which he had not appreciated.