Coursing championships begin

Tipperary town will go to the dogs over the next three days for the 82nd annual Irish hare-coursing championships.

Tipperary town will go to the dogs over the next three days for the 82nd annual Irish hare-coursing championships.

Powerstown Park in Clonmel has hosted the annual Oaks and Derby showpieces since 1925. Each competition has a winners' prize fund of €35,000.

Former Republic of Ireland football international Niall Quinn and actor Vinnie Jones will both have dogs running.

More than 30,000 fans, including visitors from abroad, will generate €18 million for the local economy. All hotels and guesthouses are fully booked for weeks, and local bars and betting shops are expecting a bumper trade.

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A pool of 200 hares supplied by coursing clubs will be used in the competition and released back to the wild afterwards.

Muzzling of greyhounds in coursing was introduced in 1993 to minimise harm to the hares. Coursing was banned in England and Wales in 2005.