Courts

Birds escape cull after High Court lifts order suspending pigeon racers

Four members of Cabra Racing Pigeon Club claim they were wrongly suspended after questioning property deal

Under the rules of pigeon racing, ring numbers must be assigned to each bird’s foot within seven days of it being born. Photograph: Nicolas Maeterlinck / Getty Images

Aodhan O'Faolain
Wed Dec 20 2023 - 18:05

Thousands of baby birds have secured a pre-Christmas reprieve from a cull due to a High Court order temporarily lifting the suspensions of members of a Dublin pigeon racing club by its governing body.

The court granted the interim injunction to four members and officers of the Cabra Racing Pigeon Club who claim they were wrongfully suspended by the Irish Homing Union Southern Region (IHUSR) in October.

The plaintiffs said they were suspended after they started asking questions about club affairs.

The questions related to discussions between the club’s former committee members and a property developer over the sale of the club’s leasehold interest in its clubhouse at Bannow Road, Dublin 7, in exchange for a new clubhouse and a six-figure sum.

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The four members of the Cabra club, Daniel Boylan, David Boylan, John Aylmer and Robert Timons, sued the IHUSR after being suspended from all activities related to pigeon racing.

They also sued two of its senior executives, Henry Byrne, the IHUSR’s chairperson, and Alan Meehan, the organisation’s secretary.

Represented by Martin Byrne, the four claim they would not be able to register or place rings with ID numbers on new chicks due to hatch in the coming weeks, for racing in the coming season.

If the chicks cannot be registered within a narrow window they would have to be culled, the court heard. The four claim they were not being provided with the rings by the governing body.

The matter came before Mr Justice Mark Sanfey on Wednesday who lifted the four men’s suspensions and allowed them to participate in various pigeon racing activities.

Noting the urgency of the matter regarding the potential cull of the chicks, the judge said he was prepared to grant the plaintiffs a temporary injunction on an ex parte basis.

The judge expressed his hope that the dispute could be resolved through mediation.

Seeking the orders, Mr Byrne said that following Mr Boylan’s election late last year as chairman of the Cabra club he and the other newly elected committee members sought club documents and other related materials from the outgoing committee members.

There was a failure to provide these materials, counsel said, adding that his clients asked but were not given any information about the issues raised regarding discussions with the developer.

As a result of not replying to legitimate requests, the club decided to suspend the former committee members in question until they agreed to comply with the request to provide the information sought.

Mr Byrne said it is his client’s case the defendants then became involved in matters.

It is alleged that the defendants started to advise the former committee members how to get rid of the plaintiffs from the club’s executive.

A no-confidence motion was brought against his clients by other members of the club, and the defendants decided to suspend the four plaintiffs.

Counsel said it appears that action was taken by the defendants because his clients were “asking too many questions”.

The suspensions are entirely contrived, are wrongful and are in breach of the governing bodies’ own rules, he said.

They attempted to appeal their suspensions, but that hearing was abandoned after a person helping them with the process was assaulted, it is claimed.

The suspension has far-reaching consequences for the four plaintiffs, as they cannot buy or transfer birds, are barred from breeding their birds and cannot assign any new ring numbers, counsel added.

The breeding season commences in late November, and chicks generally hatch around Christmas.

Under the rules of pigeon racing, ring numbers must be assigned on each bird’s foot within seven days of it being born.

The four plaintiffs feared that arising out of their suspensions they would not be able to “ring” the new birds, and would therefore have to cull them.

The matter will return before the High Court in the New Year.

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