We mourn Cecil’s son... but we are no saints
THE killing for ‘sport’ of a lion in Zimbabwe, believed to be the son of the famous Cecil the Lion, should come as no surprise.
Cecil’s demise in 2015 at the hands of a wealthy big game hunter sparked an international outcry, and rightly so.
Many endangered wildlife species are targeted by people whose idea of fun is to tease, torture, or cruelly kill magnificent creatures and then pose for pictures by the mangled, bleeding carcasses.
Donald Trump Jnr has shot elephants (a species endangered on two continents) and showed off their severed tails to photographers.
But we Irish aren’t exactly in a position to throws stones. We don’t have elephants, lions, or rhinos in Ireland but we do have hares and foxes, both of which are subjected to deliberate cruelty with the full backing of the State and our legal system.
Each coursed hare is a little Hibernian Cecil that so-called sports people like to see terrorised and battered on muddy, frosted, or rain-swept fields in winter.
The hare is a timid creature that could never hope to roar like a lion, but whose death screech has been likened to that of the mythical banshee.
Likewise, a fox pursued by a pack of hounds and the cream of Irish society mounted on the finest of horses is as deserving of our support and ecological solicitude as a rhino killed for its horn or a lion terminated for its ‘trophy’ head.
I’ve seen critics of Zimbabwe say that it’s a bad country for wildlife. Perhaps Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, if he isn’t willing to ban blood sports here, might consider a twinning arrangement between our country and the one run by President for Life Robert Mugabe.
After all, our two nations have a common tolerance of widespread and organized cruelty to animals masquerading as ‘sport’!
JOHN FITZGERALD, via email.
Davy is wrong
I’VE always enjoyed watching RTÉ’s coverage of the GAA and between The Sunday Game and live matches, I have found Michael Duignan to be a fair pundit, and co-commentator who has a real love for hurling. Having spent many years toiling for Offaly he knows what it’s like to both get plaudits and criticism. Therefore I find it hard to accept Davy Fitzgerald’s attack on Duignan simply because they have different views on the game.
The use of a sweeper is hurling is a major talking point for hurling fans and if if is being discussed up and down the country then it has to be mentioned by the pundits.
I’m not a Davy hater by any stretch and happen to think he is an interesting character who brings a lot of personality to the GAA. He might be a fan of the sweeper tactic but that doesn’t mean everyone has to be, and he has to accept that people are entitled to their opinion.
Duignan is paid to give his and I’d rather he gave it, rather than sit on the fence like so many others do.
Davy says people who have managed on the sideline should be the ones who are on RTÉ panels but often you’ll find these people will play safe and not give their real opinion as they are keen to get back into the game and don’t want to upset others.
MICHAEL CUMMINS, via email.
The booze blues
MATT Cooper (Irish Daily Mail Wednesday July 19) comes to the rescue of a much-maligned advertising industry whose activities really have no effect whatsoever on people’s attitudes and activity. It is because of this teddy bear reality that major companies hire them to advertise their wares even though it is a total waste of time – so says Cooper.
His article emphasises the singularity of the Cork experience: ‘drinking is what everybody did to fit in’; and playing sport ‘led to lots of drinking’. And to think that this ‘culture of the era’ produced a political power that is now a distant memory.
And Cooper makes clear, once leaving behind the influence of the Cork culture, he matured into sensible middle class paternity. Finally some advice for drink companies: forget about advertising – put your money on the First Communion.
MICHEÁL Ó SEIGHIN, Béal an Átha, Co. Mhaigh Eo.
Sensible Kate
THANK goodness Kate is dressing George and Charlotte as children and not mini-adults.
How many babies do you see dressed in jeans and football shirts or little girls in sequin tops?
Why do some parents want their children to grow up so quickly by encouraging an adult way of dressing? If they are not careful, they will have missed the joy of their precious childhood.
JOYCE SIDDALL, Sheffield.
Brexit referee
THE Brexit talks between David Davies and Michel Barnier remind me of two prize fighters in a boxing match. But there is an important figure missing – the referee. We need a neutral country to join the proceedings as a mediator and moderator to stop each side from making extreme demands. It might also speed things up.
MONICA COUCHMAN, via email.