Nutini clarifies his hunting stance after being pictured at Westmeath ball

Scottish singer Paolo Nutini, who was recently pictured attending the Westmeath Hunt Ball in Mullingar, has moved to distance himself from hunting. In a post on his Facebook site this week, Nutini, who has been recording in Rosemount's Grouse Lodge, said he had been invited to the party but "was not fully aware of the nature of this party" He said that he "in no way supports fox hunting or any other type of animal blood sports" and that he "doesn't endorse the hunting of any animal". His Facebook update comes on the back of responses to the photograph, which appeared in the Westmeath Independent and Westmeath Examiner recently. The Irish Council Against Blood Sports (ICABS) said it had contacted the star following the publication of the picture. In a statement, ICABS said it was very happy that Nutini had clarified his stance on the issue and had thanked him for expressing his anti-hunting position.