Isabel Hurley

THE hills are truly alive to the sound of music as the colourful hunting season gets into full swing.

The Irish Field’s hunting correspondents Noel Mullins and Dickie Power will be visiting packs nationwide this winter and this week’s coverage starts with The Galway Blazers and The Co Clare Foxhounds (see A64-65).

With some 125 registered packs countrywide, it’s well worth remembering that a major five-year UCD report recorded the hunting sector’s contribution to the Irish economy at just over €33 million in 2012, as well as providing almost 200 full-time jobs and hundreds more part-time jobs.

The 2008-2013 UCD report also found that the average expenditure of every person involved in mounted hunting, including everything from stabling, feed, farriery, veterinary and cap costs is just under €7,000 per annum.

Hunting is also the backbone of Ireland’s multi-million euro National Hunt racing scene, including running the hugely popular point-to-point scene. The pheasant season opened last weekend for the gun clubs nationwide and field sports are one of the fastest growing areas in Ireland with over 300,000 people involved with hunting accounting for the vast majority of that figure. However, the overall contribution of field sports to the essential social fabric of rural Ireland - increasingly bereft of services in policing; banking and retail - cannot be measured.

KEY SPORT HORSE

FIGURES:

  • Ireland’s hunting sector contributes over €33m to the economy annually.
  • There was 125 registered packs in 2014.
  • The Irish Sport Horse industry is worth €700m to the economy – twice that of the sheep sector.
  • It employs approximately 12,512 people directly and indirectly.
  • There are approximately 124,000 equines in Ireland.
  • With 27.5 sport horses per thousand people, Ireland is the most densely sport horse populated country in Europe.
  • The leisure sector, including hunting, accounts for approximately 36,000 registered sport horses and contributes €119m to the economy.
  • Some 99,000 overseas visitors engaged in equestrian activities while in Ireland in 2013. In 2012, equestrian tourists spent an estimated €79m.