Just hours before the crucial vote on the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill in Dublin by Ministers, a team of 11 ARAN supporters - some wearing the most hideous looking face masks we could find of several Labour Party TD's, held bloodied signs with quotes from their previous opposition to blood sports. Other ARAN supporters held 'blood' covered' votes. The event was covered by RTE and TV3 national television, however programmes that evening did not include reports about the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill. An Irish radio station also called ARAN for on-air comment.

See some footage of the team in action for animals. Click here.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION

That's right, less than 24 hours prior to the Ward Union hunt ban legislation debate, over 100 supporters of ARAN descended on Dail Eireann to bring attention to animal abuse in Ireland and to urge the passage of the impending Ward Union hunt ban and the Dog Breeding Establishment Bill.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION

As the final stages of the Irish 'Dog Breeding Establishment Bill' was debated at Dail Eireann (Government buildings) by Ministers and Senators, ARAN took our message directly outside the gates to remind those in power that Ireland needs modern animal legislation, as we have reason to fear the current bill looks set to be seriously watered down. Months prior to this, ARAN had been working long-hard hours behind the scenes pushing for stronger legislation for all animals in Ireland.

See some short video footage of our event yesterday: video one and video two.

Remember, we have one last chance to get some sort of protection for animals in Ireland and for all of us who care, we must not let this opportunity pass.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION

Q 1) So John, it has been over ten years since ARAN was formed, do you feel much has changed in Ireland for animal rights? Hi! I can honestly put hand on heart that huge changes have being made in this country for animals. Each and every single day now you can read or listen on the local radio or newspaper about cruelty to animals issues. Thanks in large part to the hard work of ARAN there is now more focus from the press on animal rights issues. In the last two weeks alone we have been doing radio and newspaper interviews about a variety of campaigns including a cruelty issue we're currently working on in Kerry. Also for the first time in Irish history we are to get some vital legislation that I believe will help animals in some way, shape or form. The Ward Union are on the way out as is fur farming and we've also got the revised upcoming animal welfare bill which I hope will make meaningful changes to the lives of many animals and of course make life harder for those that get sick kicks out of their suffering. Other changes also include far more people going vegetarian and a lot of vegetarians are also going vegan which is fantastic news for animals on the factory farm.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION

Today a group of ARAN supporters held a party - for the animals' that is! For the first time in the Irish animal protection movement, we have secured a huge victory in our campaign against blood sports - with a national ban on Ireland's only and most grotesque and barbaric deer hunt - the Ward union hunt.

Un-corking two bottles of Champaign, supporters gathered outside the Department of Environment in Dublin on a glorious summers' day to celebrate the impending victory, which we hope will become law before the Dail recess. Supporters and campaigners also held signs reading 'Good Riddance to the Ward Union Hunt' and 'Ban All Blood Sports in Ireland'. Prior to the event, several radio stations across the country were coving our event - helping to generate even more public exposure to our ongoing efforts to end all blood sports in Ireland. The purpose of today's event was to thank Minister John Gormley for standing out from the strangle-hold that vested interests have on Irish ministers.

We are seeing how desperate blood sport enthusiasts are becoming about protecting their vial, brutal pastime, but we agree, they are like children spitting their dummies out! Today, ARAN is renewing our appeal to everyone who cares about animals, to no longer remain a silent supporter, but to please join countless other active ARAN members and start using your voice to help animals. Staying silent, not responding to emails and letting all the work to a few other people will never stop animal abuse -but will only prolong the suffering inflicted upon innocent animals.

Won't you please commit today to helping animals in some way, shape or form?

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION

One of Ireland's best known and most popular celebrities teamed up with ARAN today to speak out for Canada's baby seals. Best known as Twink', Adele King is no stranger to fame, having spent more than 40 years lighting up Ireland's top stages. The talented dancer, singer and actress is renowned for her incredible energy and being an animal lover. Today she delivered star-power for the seals in Dublin, on the day when the largest part of the seal hunt opens up in the Gulf of Saint Laurence, Canada.

During the press photocall and lively demonstration, Adele posed for photographs with many ARAN supporters and press reporters with plush baby 'seals, whilst supporters chanted 'Save the Seals' and holding signs reading 'Stop Canada's Seal Slaughter' and 'Boycott Canadian Seafood'.

For those who could not attend - we've caught some of the action in the early part of the demonstration just for you! Please click here and enjoy.

Thank you to all ARAN members and supporters across the nation and beyond for supporting our campaigns to help animals and to the special group of ARAN people who kindly make all our work happen, we just could not do it without you. It is fair to say that for an organization as small as ARAN, we certainly achieve far more than sometimes we can imagine!

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION

We stood fearless amongst the many hunters. A ban on stag hunting in Ireland is imminent. Pro blood-sport enthusiasts in Ireland are becoming increasingly desperate and angry and are now fighting back! That's right, last Saturday March 27, hunt enthusiasts gathered in Waterford for a picket against the ban on the Ward Union Stag Hunt, and the fear of being included in the new Dog Breeding Establishment Bill 2009. The pro blood-sport enthusiasts arrived from various corners in Ireland to descend outside the Green Party conference to try and bully the party into doing a reverse decision on their proposed bans. The good news is the Greens are poised to proceed with their ban and will join many other countries around the world enacting similar, modern, legislation such as the UK. A select few hunt enthusiasts arrived wearing green combat jackets, trousers and muck covered wellingtons holding innocent pit-bull terriers.

Prior to the pro-hunt picket, ARAN hung an anti-hunt banner from Waterford's Rice bridge which hunters tried to cut down. We also had several other supporters 'monitor' the pro hunt picket. We did not however organize a counter protest, but merely arrived to monitor and do press interviews to give the animals side of the story.

Watch the video, click here.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION

One group of supporters from Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN), distributed educational leaflets about cruelty to animals in the circus along with showing footage of an undercover investigation into circuses on our body screen TV that was held by one of our campaigners during tonight's demonstration. This TV which is unique to ARAN here in Ireland is widely used by our campaigners nationwide to show the public what animal abusing industries are desperate to hide. The TV has shown footage from countless issues including bloodsports, greyhound racing, slaughterhouses, Canada's seal hunt, animal experimentation, foie gras and more. Our circus demonstration showed real-time footage of animal abuse in travelling circuses and the hidden world of suffering and cruelty whilst training the animals to perform ridiculous, hideous and degrading acts during circus shows - footage the circus industry will always try and hide from unsuspecting goers.  During our peaceful demonstration outside of The Great European Circus, (Formerly the Royal Russian Circus!), our campaigners spoke with parents and children about our campaign to encourage more animal-act free circuses in Ireland. ARAN points out to circuses currently using animals in Ireland, that it is a desperate and dying industry and with more and more people now refusing to patronize such establishments - it now makes more sense to start going animal-act free! ARAN are now challenging the Irish circuses industry to retire all the animals they hold to caring sanctuary's and to revamp their industry with amazing human performers and incredible acrobats just like Cirque Du Soleil, an animal-act free circus that travels the USA and various part of the world showing some of the most amazing acts - but without the needless suffering and cruelty so often

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION

That's right, the gloves are off indeed! As hare coursing enthusiasts arrived for the finals of their coursing fixtures-the Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN)-Ireland's national animal rights group, announced in light of the recent proposed ban on stag hunting and fur farming that hare coursing is next on our agenda.

The lively protest which was co-organized by ARAN and other groups, including our colleagues from the Irish Council Against Bloodsports (ICABS). Throughout the protest, campaigners were flanked by giant banners that read 'Ban Bloodsports in Ireland Now' and 'Ban Hare Coursing', members of Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) and campaigners from various groups today called for an end to coursing cruelty. Press coverage for the event was good, for ARAN's part we conducted radio interviews on i102fm, Beatfm, Tipperary Fm and the popular Last Word on Today FM with Matt Cooper along with interviews with the Irish Times, Sports File and The Irish Independent. See some short footage from the event by clicking here.

 

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION

For many years ARAN has had a long campaigning relationship with LUSH Cosmetics - a company that is strictly against animal testing and whose many products are vegetarian or vegan. Their list of products that do not contain animal products are growing fast! LUSH have many stores across Ireland, the UK, Europe and around the world selling all sorts of personal care products such as moisturisers, shower gels, face scrubs and much more. At LUSH, the company works hard to lobby against animal testing and actively gets involved in campaigns to raise awareness of the cruelty involved with animal experiments and the alternative that are out there, they have also got involved in campaigns to stop shark fin soup, Canada’s seal hunt amongst others.

In December LUSH has once again teamed up with ARAN – but this time they have chosen our organization to be the recipient of their popular campaign called ‘Charity Pot’. The charity pot scheme helps fund campaigns for groups working to help animals, the environment or people. With the charity pot 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of the body lotion go to their chosen charity, all proceeds except for VAT. Right now in stores across Ireland north and south and even as far away as across the UK - ARAN can be seeing featured on the charity pot.  In Ireland, the charity pot is on sale. We would urge our supporters to get into their local LUSH store to buy the charity pot which will go onto fund ARAN’s vital work for animal rights in Ireland. The money that LUSH will raise from the charity pot for ARAN will be diverted into our campaigns for 2010, with each cent being invested specifically in education, so that the children and students - the people of tomorrow, will gain a legacy of kindness, respect and compassion.

If you would like to know where your nearest LUSH store is, please visit their website www.lush.co.uk or contact ARAN. Thanks go to the amazing team of LUSH staff and stores across Ireland and to their UK head office for all the amazing support the company has given to ARAN in order to further our work to stop cruelty to animals in Ireland.

Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) staged our third rally in Dublin on December 6th, 2009. Despite the torrential rain that poured heavily across the country, which deterred many hundreds of supporters that planned on coming - from coming along. In Dublin, however, the weather could not have being better – for what many would agree was the most successful and well attended rally for animals ever. The weather in Dublin was a summer’s day – the only city in Ireland to have good weather this weekend! The sky was bright, clear blue and the sun glared down on top of us. Early that morning some radio stations were carrying the story that hundreds were due to protest animal abuse in Dublin and that we did – it was upbeat, lively and most importantly peaceful, whilst sending a strong message.

 

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR FULL INFORMATION

Just about anyone with a heartbeat takes notice when top Irish model Suzanne McCabe poses, and her brand-new ad for PETA and ARAN is no exception. Wearing nothing but earrings and next to the tagline "Fur? I'd Rather Go Naked", McCabe's ad promises to make anyone who sees it think twice before they buy or wear fur. The ad debuts just as the Republic of Ireland has announced that it will phase-out fur farming in three years – but we are not out of the woods just yet, much more work needs to be done to make this a reality as we’ve heard similar pledges from governments around the world over the years and nothing has surfaced.

Animals raised on fur farms go insane from being confined to tiny, filthy cages in all weather extremes before they are electrocuted, poisoned, or gassed or have their necks are broken. An undercover investigation of fur farms in China - now the world's leading fur exporter - revealed that animals, including cats and dogs, are often skinned alive. On Irish fur farms up to 150,000 mink and silver fox are gassed and anally electrocuted. This is PETA and ARAN's first Irish "naked" anti-fur ad. Suzanne is in good company. Many international celebrities including Eva Mendes, Pamela Anderson, Jamelia, Christy Turlington and more have bared skin to save animals skin.

This month Suzanne Mc Cabe has also being featured on the cover page of the Vegetarian Society of Ireland magazine to speak about her work for animal rights with ARAN and on her being vegetarian. Suzanne is also ARAN’s campaign coordinator for the HSUS protect seals seafood boycott of Ireland and has already signed up dozens of Ireland top restaurants in our campaign to stop Canada killing baby seals.