Time to kill off the stag hunt
RUDOLPH the red-nosed reindeer would be well advised to remain airborne if passing through the midlands over the next few days, or at least not to venture too close to terra firma.
The same goes for Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, and the others.
And if Rudolph spots red- coated people on horseback galloping along country roads or through fields or up mountains, he should be aware that these will not be Santa's helpers.
And, if he looks down and sees deer in full flight he'll hopefully realise that they're running away from those costumed figures with their horses and hounds.
For, in addition to it being the season to be jolly, it's also the time of year when deer in parts of Co Meath and north Co Dublin have to run in fear from humans who terrorise them for fun.
They insist it's a wonderful pastime, even when deer being chased bounce off the bonnets of cars and lorries as they seek to evade baying packs of hounds and hunt followers.
Thankfully, this looks like the last Christmas when these animals, renowned in Irish myth and folklore, will be forced to take the lead role in a bizarre outdoor pantomime that only hunters find enjoyable.
John Fitzgerald
Callan, Co Kilkenny
Irish Independent
