An attempt by two Green Party Councillors in Cork to ban live hare coursing was met with an almost unanimous rejection this week.
Cork Green Party councillor Alan O'Connor put forward the motion, describing the sport 'a cruel activity'.
The calls were dismissed by a large majority of council members, with one representative calling it 'an attack on rural Ireland'.
But Councillor O'Connor says he believes coursing is completely 'unjustifiable'.
"I consider hare coursing to be a cruel activity, I think that's the fundamental of it - it's an animal welfare issue.
"I don't think it's justifiable that animals should be captured and then held and then subject to being chased by dogs in the name entertainment."
