A motion calling for an end to the practice of hare coursing in County Cork has been heavily defeated by local representatives.
It was tabled by two Green Party councillors in the area, who called the bloodsport 'a cruel activity'.
The motion calling for the Agriculture Minister to ban coursing was defeated by 36 votes to four.
Fine Gael Councillor Eileen Lynch who was among those to vote against the proposal called it 'an attack on rural Ireland'.
"It's a part of rural Ireland, and I saw this as one further attack on rural Ireland by the Green Party.
"While I appreciate it's not to everyone's taste, you have 89 clubs around the country, you have 15 in Cork alone, and I think my view of it being an intrinsic part of rural Ireland was ultimately supported by my colleagues in the vote that we saw on Monday."
