Dear ARAN Friends

We want to say a huge thank you for all who participated in our "Rally Against The Cruelty" in Dublin this Sunday December 10th. It was all part of Uncaged Campaigns, International Day for Animal Rights, other events were also held around the world by many other animal protection groups. ARAN would like to say a very special thank you to our friends & colleagues from IAVS & CIWF Ireland who put on a fantastic display at our rally and who played a very instrumental role in the run up to this rally, they certainly do deserve recognition. We also want to thank our hard working volunteers Sinead, Shane, Gemma, Giselle and Heather who led the chants to our rally from start to finish! Let's hope they can still talk after all that fantastic chanting!

Early Sunday morning the news broke on radio stations right across the country that ARAN was to stage a rally for animal rights in Dublin. By 1pm the crowds starting building up at the Garden of Remembrance where about 100+ gathered before shortly heading off, word has it that up to 300 people took part in the rally and at one stage it did swell between O'Connell Street and Trinity College, some media reports suggested 100 others suggested over 200, we hear up to 300. The dedication of so many people there on the day was truly amazing and at one stage we stopped outside of Barnardo Furs where we chanted "Fur Is Murder" and "There Is No Excuse For Animal Abuse" - it was a fantastic display of good people helping animals. We then stopped outside Dail Eireann to hear the touching speeches by Uncaged Campaigns Director Dan Lyons, Patricia McKenna from IAVS, Maryanne Bartlett from CIWF and Celine O Donovan from ARAN reading a statement from our friends at ADI and NAVS based in the UK. Please visit our website http://www.aran.ie  this week to view pictures and some video footage of Sunday's event. Coverage of Sunday's event ended up gracing the pages of many broadsheet newspapers shortly after, along with websites and new slinks.

Yesterday's event truly shows that when we work together anything is possible. We were very proud to have many animal protection groups around the country support this event including Irish Council Against Bloodsports (ICABS), Clare Animal Welfare (CAW), Cats Protection, Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA), Northern Ireland Against Animal Cruelty (NIAAC), Cats Aid, Irish Horse Welfare Trust, Irish Wildlife Trust, lots of other SPCA's and many other animal rescue groups around the country. Over 200 people could not attend on the day for many different genuine reasons but sent countless messages to us via email, letters and text messages in support of the rally. IAVS also had a fantastic mobile billboard which read "38,000 Animals Suffer In Irish Laboratories" they also had some volunteers in animal costumes and CIWF Ireland have a fabulous "Ban Fur Farming In Ireland" banner and again two volunteers dressed in lovely fox costume's which got attention in today's papers. Again a huge thank you to everyone who took part and for those who were not there this year, we certainly do hope you will be with us and the animals next year.

Again thanks to everyone who showed up, thanks to the groups who supported this effort and please know that again team work does certainly make a huge difference and we hope that those who could not make it this year will certainly be at the next event being held in 2007!

Thank you for being a voice for animals,

John Carmody | Campaigns Coordinator | Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN)
120 Vale Avenue | Carew Park | Limerick | Ireland
Tel: 087-6275579 | Intl' +353-87-6275579 | Email: arancampaigns@eircom.net
Website: www.ARAN.ie
"Fighting Animal Abuse Across Ireland"
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"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

Thomas Edison
1847-1931, Inventor and Entrepreneur

One of the best ways you can help ARAN is to get actively involved with our ongoing research, lobbying, events, projects, peaceful protests and tabling events all over Ireland. Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) is against all forms of animal cruelty and is a grassroots group working to speak out for the rights of all animals here in Ireland whilst helping to promote and support European and international campaigns to end cruelty to animals. ARAN works with volunteers, activists, members of the public and other animal protection groups. We firmly believe that by working together we can do so much more and be far more effective. Please be sure to check out ARAN.ie on a frequent basis to read about some of the work ARAN does to help save animals and stop the cruelty, together we can move mountains for the animals and we need you on our side.