Shocking footage of an Irish funeral procession shows the moment a horse and cart broke free. Out of control, the horse ran through a red light and went head first into a car
Horrifying footage shows the moment a horse and cart broke away from a funeral procession and smashed head-first into a car.
In one clip, a cart being pulled by horses can be seen next to a horse and carriage hearse during a procession in Clondalkin, a suburban village west of Dublin. As a number of vehicles including a bus pass on the opposite side of the road, two people can be seen galloping along the green verge of the road at speed.
Then, one of the carts being towed by a horse appears to pick up speed. It comes after a woman vanished in car crash – then turns up months later with wild story.
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A person on the cart could be heard shouting “no” to try and direct traffic away, before running a red light and smashing into a car. The driver can be heard shouting “‘f*****g hell” in the immediate aftermath of the shocking August 11 incident.
A second video showed the horse with a swelling face and head and with stitches. A person in the video is heard saying: “He has a good chance of healing there now if you mind him.”
Since the incident, a leading animal rescue charity has called for an investigation. My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue called what happened “lawlessness and cruelty”.
The charity is now calling for a police-led Animal Welfare Crime Unit; increased and sustained funds for rescues and modern, enforceable laws to protect animals and the public, the Irish Mirror reported.
“On Monday in Clondalkin, a funeral procession of a road traffic victim became chaotic,” the spokesperson said. “Horses galloping along footpaths, sulkies and traps weaving through traffic. Then, the crash. A terrified horse ran into moving vehicles. Left bleeding, with a deep cut across its head, lying on the tarmac as gardaí arrived.
“This is the reality. Road Traffic Act breaches – no regulation, no insurance, no roadworthiness. Public safety is ignored – pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers put at serious risk.
“Animal welfare – exhausted, terrified animals, injured in plain sight. This is not “tradition. This is lawlessness and cruelty,” the charity’s spokesperson said.
The charity is now calling for a Garda-led Animal Welfare Crime Unit empowered to investigate and act. “Increased, sustained funding for rescues – because we’re the ones picking up the pieces. Modern, enforceable laws – to protect animals and the public.
“See something. Say something. Animal cruelty is a crime,” the spokesperson said, encouraging the public to sign their petition to demand urgent action.