More than 30 anti-blood sports campaigners from England, Germany and from around Ireland gathered at a field near Kilkenny city to protest against the event.

Huge numbers of English dogs were brought over for the Seamus Hughes tournament following the all-out ban on coursing in Britain last February. The two-day Kilkenny event continues today.

"Once again we're calling on environment minister Dick Roche to abolish licences for the netting of hares from the wild, " said Aideen Yourell of the Irish Campaign Against Blood Sports.

Coursing is legal in Ireland but dogs must wear muzzles and, according to Kilkenny courser Ber Drennan, very few hares are killed here every year.