ANIMAL welfare groups are increasingly concerned about the growth in cockfighting in rural areas. They are also worried about the associations its followers are making with overseas blood sports enthusiasts.
In early April cockfighting enthusiasts met at Redhills, Co Cavan, to enter cockerels in the Irish Cockfighting Derby. An estimated 200 people attended, some travelling from Britain.
Easter Sunday traditionally marks the beginning of the cockfighting season. It closes on July 31st.
Ms Therese Cunningham, spokeswoman for the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said she was concerned to hear that British enthusiasts were travelling to Ireland to attend cockfighting events as Ireland already had a problem with followers from overseas travelling here to badger bait.
Cockfighting has a strong following in the Border regions where it organised on a weekly basis at county level. These areas are also home to the Irish Game Cock, a breed internationally renowned for its fighting abilities, strength and stamina.
The practice involves pitting two cocks against each other in an enclosed space.
One style of cock fighting is called "naked heel" and involves sharpening the birds natural spurs. This enables fighting birds to inflict more severe injuries on each other.
"Spur fighting" is considered a more barbaric method of cockfighting. It involves cutting off the birds natural spur and replacing it with a three inch steel spur designed to cause lethal injury. Cockfighting spurs are imported from the United States.
Following aggression raising rituals, birds are then placed in a pit for fighting.
Cockerels are used for fighting because they are naturally territorial and will chase others. However, in an enclosed pit an aggressive bird will kill a subordinate which cannot escape.
Each fowl breeder selects 10 cocks to compete in a competition. These are collectively called a "mane" of cockerels.
An average cockfight may last from five minutes to 25 minutes; the duration of the fight depends on the birds' strength and fighting ability.
Ms Aideen Yourell of the Irish Council Against Blood Sports (ICABS), called on the Garda to be on the alert for individuals coming from Britain for cockfights.
A Garda spokesman at divisional headquarters in Cavan said gardai were aware cockfights were staged in the North but received few complaints about them.
"We have had no complaints on cockfighting in the past five years. It was a big problem 20 years ago but we have not received one complaint in the past five years, said the spokesman.