Paolo's hunting for a quieter social life

Scottish singer Paolo Nutini certainly won’t forget his attendance at the 2013 Westmeath Hunt Ball in a hurry.
The chart topper, who was recording his new album at the Grouse Lodge Recording Studio outside Moate, was forced to come out and voice his opposition to bloodsports after he came under fire from animal rights activists for attending the Hunt’s shindig in the Bloomfield House Hotel earlier this month with studio owner Paddy Dunning.
Activists bombarded the singer’s Facebook page with critical messages after the Westmeath Examiner published a picture of him at the black tie event. Such was the level of the criticism directed at Nutini, that he issued a statement on the social networking site on February 14 letting his fans know that he “in no way supports fox hunting or any other type of animal blood sports”.
The statement read: “Paolo is recording in Ireland at the moment and was invited to a party. He was not fully aware of the nature of this party. If you didn’t know him before, he would like to make it clear that he doesn’t endorse the hunting of any animal.”
The Irish Council of Blood Sports (ICABS) and its spokesperson Aideen Yourell from Mullingar welcomed the statement. Ms Yourell said the group is “very happy that Paolo has clarified his stance on the issue and is standing with the majority of Irish people who are opposed to foxhunting.” Foxhunting with hounds is outlawed in Scotland, Wales and England.
The wave of online opprobrium directed towards the singer began after ICABS published a critical post on the singer’s Facebook page. Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Ms Yourell defended the group’s action.
“We don’t feel like we ambushed Paolo. We made our point, and we are always very polite when we write our letters,” Ms Yourell told the Westmeath Examiner. “We’re not responsible for what other people say or the way they react.
“We don’t think that our initial Facebook post was an over-reaction. A hunt ball is a hunt ball, and it’s funding cruelty.
“We didn’t contact any of Paolo’s people beforehand. These days, Facebook is the way to go, and when you’re a person who’s in the public eye and using Facebook, you’re inviting comment.
“But we’re delighted that Paolo has confirmed that he doesn’t support bloodsports.”
Paddy Dunning, owner of Rosemount’s Grouse Lodge Recording Studios (where Mr Nutini is recording a new album), was in Mr Nutini’s company at the Hunt Ball, but he declined to comment about the controversy.
The Westmeath Examiner also made a number of attempts to speak to a representative of the Westmeath Hunt about the controversy but was unsuccessful.