First of November is Horse Fair Day!

THE annual Castleisland Horse Fair will be held here in Castleisland on Wednesday, November 1st. Castleisland’s last link with it’s market town / fair day past shows no signs of waning if recent years and the crowds it attracts are an indication.

I mentioned here last week that I got a call from a man in Tipperary who was checking if it was on.

The fair was a regular feature in Old Moore’s Almanac and I’m not sure if that old relic of decency is still hale and hearty.

A fine fair day makes a huge difference to the enjoyment of the event. There was a day of vicious downpours a couple of years ago and the streets were cleared by half past two.

On the fine days the on-street activity almost touch the angelus bells.

There are people who come looking for quality and ‘blood’ in what they’re prepared to buy and there’s always plenty of hand slapping and walking away and coming back.

And there are middle men egging the buyers and the sellers ever closer to that elusive sealing of the deal. The haggling over the bit of luck money can take nearly as long as the core of the business.

If you have no business in Castleisland that day you can do yourself a great favour and shoot off down or up the by pass as the town centre will be fairly taken up with the business of the day.

Photo by John Reidy Castleisland native, Tralee resident, Eddie Hayes (left) with Martin O’Halloran from Kilflynn at the 2016 November 1st fair.