Tipperary Councillor calls for total sulky ban amid road safety concerns

A Tipperary County Councillor has urged a complete prohibition on sulkies from public roads, following a series of alarming incidents that have raised safety fears. 

Cllr Michael Brennan reacted to a series of videos circulating online showing sulkies on roads across the county, some ending in collisions with other vehicles. One such incident near Lisronagh, between Clonmel and Fethard, captured a sulky driver being thrown from his buggy after colliding with an oncoming car.

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Speaking publicly on local radio, Councillor Brennan said there was only one way to tackle the problem.

“We’ll go back to the Lisronagh one – the intimidation that was done to that man on the road was unbelievable. And that’s what we cannot have – this is giving two fingers up to all authorities here and it has to stop and it has to be controlled. My way of controlling it is a total ban because otherwise there’s no discipline – they can go out then and do road racing with it,” he said.

A statement from Tipperary Ban Sulky Racing underlined that enforcement will only be effective if Tipperary County Council, the Department of Agriculture, and An Garda Síochána act together.

The group stressed that all equines, whether owned by settled people or Travellers, must be microchipped and carry an official horse passport containing a Unique Equine Life Number to ensure traceability.

The group also highlighted legal obligations for equine owners: all premises keeping horses must be registered with the Department of Agriculture, minors cannot own or control horses in public, and anyone allowed to have a horse in a public place must ensure the animal wears a bridle and is under adequate control. It is illegal to allow a horse to graze, feed, stray, or remain in a public space without local authority consent.

As sulkies continue to appear on Tipperary roads, the debate over regulation, safety, and cultural practice shows little sign of slowing.

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