Fethard Equine Hospital / O’Byrne and Halley Vets (Co.Tipperary)

Grandiosely, Fethard Equine Hospital says on its website that “For as long as time can remember, horses and Tipperary have been inextricably linked.” No doubt that FEH staff love horses. Sadly, the people at the top don’t show the same love for other animals: John Halley and David Halley of Fethard Equine Hospital / O’Byrne and Halley Vets are both involved in fox hunting. A report in the pro-hunt Irish Field of 1 November 2024, focusing on a Tipperary Foxhounds hunt in Fethard, outlined that during the hunt, the pack of 33 hounds were brought to a property described as “John Halley’s of Fethard Veterinary [Fethard Equine Hospital] and master of the County Limerick Foxhounds”. The report added: “Following the family tradition were [Fethard Equine Hospital vet] David Halley (MRCVS) and brother Jack Halley, who runs the iconic Hayes’ Hotel in Liberty Square, Thurles…both out [hunting] and well mounted, they showed the way on the family farm.”