The first Private Members’ Bill to ban hare coursing in Ireland was introduced by the late Independent TD Tony Gregory 20 years ago. When it came to a vote, however, it was roundly defeated with only 16 TDs supporting the proposition. A decade later, Gregory’s successor in Dublin Central, Maureen O’Sullivan, brought a similar Bill to the Dáil in 2016. Twenty TDs supported it, a net gain of four. Ten years on again, it was the turn of People Before Profit. The Bill was tabled by Dublin South-West TD Paul Murphy. After a spirited debate, the end result was emphatic.The Bill was defeated by 124 votes to 24. On the face of it, it looks like little has changed over the course of 20 years. “The dial has not turned at all, sure there’s no appetite for it,” one delighted rural TD said in the Dáil bar immediately after the vote on Wednesday. [ Paul Murphy hunts mysterious hare coursing report as Taoiseach defends status quo ]While other jurisdictions have banned controversial rural pursuits such as coursing – including England, Wales and Northern Ireland – it remains legal in Ireland, albeit with stringent conditions. For example, muzzling was introduced in 1993, a measure that dramatically reduced the number of kills at meetings. The Irish Coursing Club has said less than 1 per cent of hares captured for coursing get killed in races.So is Ireland an outlier for activities such as fox-hunting and coursing? Murphy has argued that politicians are lagging behind the population on this and the vote does not reflect the prevailing societal view. He cited recent opinion polls which showed large majorities opposed to hare coursing. There are some indications there may be a slow shift beginning to happen. The Labour Party opposed earlier Bills, but now supports a ban (albeit with a smaller number of TDs). There is also evidence of a less-uniform approach among the three largest parties. All three imposed a whip on their TDs for Wednesday’s vote, guaranteeing that the Bill had no hope of passing. But within all three parties there are internal rumblings with clear evidence of an urban-rural divide. The first big breach of the implacable wall was at last spring’s Sinn Féin’s ardfheis. Delegates voted to oppose fox hunting, which represented a big shift. However, its position on coursing has remained unchanged, with several prominent rural TDs defending it. In Fianna Fáil, also, there has been some dissonance. Last week Dublin Rathdown TD Shay Brennan said a “growing number of TDs” were finding it increasingly difficult to defend a pro-coursing position.“It’s frustrating to be whipped on this issue, but you have to respect that Fianna Fáil has taken a collective position,” he said.Brennan is not alone. Two other urban-based TDs said on Thursday they would favour a change of policy on hare coursing, but did not want to go public yet with their positions. “People have trouble with it. There’s a need for debate. And the party needs to discuss it,” one said. Similarly Brennan said the party has not had a conversation on hare coursing. “We do need to discuss it to see if we can bring around a change of policy,” he said. However, some of the party’s prominent rural TDs such as Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere and Minister of State Niall Collins have stoutly defended coursing. Both have described its highly regulated nature, the 44 conditions attached to licences, studies which suggest that released coursing hares survive in the wild, and the low mortality rate at meetings (less than 1 per cent, they said). Another Fianna Fáil TD, who lives in a commuting constituency, says its importance has been overstated. “There are Private Members’ Bills designed to put pressure on the Government on an issue like this. We have to be careful not to be captured by them,” said the TD, who asked not to be named. “We just need to stay the course and not be distracted by them. Hare coursing and fox hunting are a distraction from the big ticket items.” The reality is none of the three big parties will allow votes of conscience on animal welfare issues in the near future. With most Independent TDs, Aontú and Independent Ireland all strongly pro-coursing, the next vote on coursing may be less emphatic, but the outcome will be the same.