IT’S the end of an era for Limerick-based Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) who have decided to cease operations after 21 years.
Outspoken and often controversial Limerick man John Carmody, who led the voluntary, grassroots group for over two decades, founded ARAN. At just 14 years of age, he was stirred into action after seeing brutal images of skinned seals on the front cover of a national newspaper.
The group started out in Limerick City taking on local stores that sold furs; boycotting circuses that would roll into the city with captive animals; encouraging people to spay and neuter their animals; campaigning against blood sports and promoting alternatives to dissection in local schools.
They ended up running national campaigns to expose animal abuse along with campaigning for stronger laws and educating people about how they can live kinder.
When John Carmody formed ARAN, Ireland had an antiquated law protecting animals that dated back to 1911. But, through political lobbying, “racy and provocative stunts”, hard-hitting investigations, celebrity involvement, education, grassroots activism and media awareness, Carmody and his group have helped change all that.
The groups’ impressive list of achievements include prompting Irish charities to adopt a ‘no fur’ policy; pushing Ireland to back an EU-wide ban on the importation of seal skins; campaigning for the new ‘Animal Health and Welfare Act’; lobbying for the ‘Dog Breeding Establishments Act’ to help regulate puppy breeding, and helping to reduce the death rate in pounds by promoting spaying and neutering and adopting instead of buying animals.
ARAN also encouraged people to give up their furs and donate them to be used in educational awareness events. They helped more than a dozen Irish towns and cities to pass motions to ban animal-act circuses using public land and pushed for animal abuse offenders to be given tougher jail sentences and stiffer fines.
John has taken swipes at everyone from Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga for wearing the fur of wild animals; Michael Flatley for possessing horn from the endangered rhino, and Taoiseach Enda Kenny for his support of the Ward Union stag hunt.
“I have had mixed feelings for the last couple of years. Should I stay or should I go and my decision was never going to be black and white. But after 21 years, it’s now time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life,” he told the Limerick Post.
“Campaigning alongside hundreds of other volunteers and with the backing of thousands of supporters; ARAN was able to expose the cruelty on a local and national level, achieve better laws to help animals, show people about the solutions to the cruelty and also inspire a nation to be kinder and more active in the campaign against cruelty to animals.
“I can assure our supporters that our efforts will last forever. I bet our opposition, the ones who’ve profited off animals, will be opening the bottles of champagne with this news and happy days to them, but we would hope that they too can take a message away about considering animals and their feelings and just leaving them alone.
“I cannot thank enough our supporters, the groups we’ve worked with and everyone who’s been pro-active all these years with ARAN. My final message as founder of the group to everyone is to be kind, to treat people and animals with respect and live every single day like it’s your last,” he concluded.
by Alan Jacques
