Tipperary farmer cleared of threatening to kill foxhunters because hounds were on his land

A farmer who got into a confrontation with a local hunt over hounds coming on to his land has had two charges of threatening to kill or seriously injure two people and one charge of discharging a firearm recklessly dismissed against him.

John Gleeson of Carrig, Ballycommon, Nenagh, had denied the charges in relation to an incident that happened on December 26, 2021.

Sean Hassett of the Nenagh Harriers Hunting Club told Nenagh District Court that on the day in question the hunt had made sure roads were being monitored to avoid an accident when he got a call to come back along the Carrig to Dromineer road where he was met with a man carrying a shotgun.

“I told him I was just collecting the hounds and he put the gun to my head. It was a single-barrel shotgun and he was about four or five feet from me. I was very frightened,” said Mr Hassett.

He said that he could not recall how many people had been on the hunt but about 12 or 15 dogs were there.

“Nobody set foot on his property. We called the hounds back. They came back to my feet,” he said.

He said the hunt had permission to be on the far side of the road but not on Mr Gleeson’s lands.

Mr Hassett stated that Mr Gleeson came out and told him he would “blow the head off me”.

Cross-examined by Kenny Kerins, BL, for Mr Gleeson, Mr Hassett said that hunting with hounds was a “bit of sport” that had been a pastime in Ireland for “hundreds of years”.

The hunt depended on the permission of the landowners but he agreed they had no permission to be on Mr Gleeson’s land.

Asked if he was aware that Mr Gleeson had written to the hunt because he was “pestered” by hounds, Mr Hassett said it must have been a different hunt as they didn’t keep horses.

He denied they had lost control of the hounds that day, saying the hounds were walked and trained to deal with livestock.

“They follow the scent of the fox”, he said. ”The fox crossed the road”.

Michael O’Brien, another hunt member, said that while they were hunting he had heard gunshots.

”I saw a man with a gun. He hit our dogs on the back. I said ‘Whoa’ and he said ‘I’ll shoot you as well’,” said Mr O’Brien.

He said that he decided to get the hounds down the road and they went back at the sound of the bugle.

Mr O’Brien told Insp Amanda Reynolds, prosecuting, that he didn’t feel his life was in danger and he had walked with the dogs down the road.

“I didn’t pay much notice to the gun,” he said. “The gun was pointed at my head.”

He told Mr Kerins he accepted that the hounds could cause distress and damage if the cattle were not used to hounds.

Jimmy Foley described the hunt as a foot hunt and that while they normally had around 20 members there were up to 70 people with them that day.

“I had sent people to stop the hunt crossing the road. I know John Gleeson and I know he doesn’t like the hunt. He’s a decent, hard working farmer,” said Mr Foley.

Mr Foley, who was huntsman on the day, said the hounds had risen two foxes at the same time and some went left down towards Mr Gleeson’s farm and the others went right.

“I was trying to control things,” he said.

Mr Foley said he had never received a letter about not hunting on Mr Gleeson’s land.

He said he had heard a gunshot but he was about a quarter-of-a-mile away.

Mr Foley told Mr Kerins he thought things “might have been different if he had been there. We could have talked.”

He thought Mr Gleeson had some “in-built thing about hounds”.

Mr Foley denied losing control of the hounds and the hounds had not gone in around the farm yard, though he admitted he had not been at the scene.

Garda Róisín Moran said Mr Gleeson gave her a prepared statement in which he said he had made his way to the public road to get the dogs from his land.

He said one man verbally abused him and others had been apologetic about that.

Mr Gleeson told the garda he had his gun in his hand but he didn’t think he threatened anyone and the gun was not loaded.

He had fired a shot earlier to make the hunt were aware that they were not to enter his lands

In his direct evidence to the court, Mr Gleeson said that he would fire the shot so that any fox in the area would go to their burrow. He didn't like the idea of hounds tearing up little creatures on his land.

Mr Gleeson said that he reared Galloway cattle and that they can be hard to handle as they can be headstrong.

He said that one cow had ran and later miscarried.

The incident had happened during lockdown and he wasn’t expecting to see anyone around.

He told Insp Reynolds that he had fired a shot to alert the fox and the people on the hunt.

While he couldn’t be certain what he had said, he now realised he should have contacted the gardaí.

Mr Kerins submitted there was no evidence Mr Gleeson had recklessly discharged a firearm as he had done so with a specific purpose on private land.

In relation to a threat to kill or seriously injure, he had been upset because the hounds were on his property.

“He was genuinely concerned for his livestock,” said Mr Kerins.

Insp Reynolds contended that if Mr Gleeson had been concerned about his animals he should not have run out on to the road.

Judge Elizabeth MacGrath dismissed the charges.