Friday’s annual November 1st Castleisland Horse Fair was held from early morning to late afternoon in the most ideal weather conditions – and that was the key ingredient in its success.
By no stretch of the imagination was it the biggest in years – as some people claimed – but it lasted longer than many of its predecessors because the weather was conducive to a dawn to dusk day of street activity.
Well controlled and patrolled by local Gardaí, the horse trading and goods and food trucks took up the left hand side – if you were facing Cordal. The right hand side was left free for all the traipsing up and down and meeting and chatting which the weather conditions also greatly facilitated.
Fine Looking Animals
People said that there were some fine looking animals on show at the fair and that they were all well looked after and groomed.
Others said that there was no money to be made these days from horse trading and that they were there only for the sake of the tradition of the fair day and that they’d hate to see it and its equals disappear.
However, a horse breeder and dealer from Ballinasloe, Joe Killeen said that there was little in the line of real quality on offer at the fair.
Clipped and Groomed
“There’s a good handful of them there on the street and they look good – nicely clipped and groomed but they’re breeding them too light these days – they haven’t the big bones they need for jumping. They’re fine for hunting and that kind of thing – but it’s still great to see the old tradition of the fair day surviving,” he said.
If there wasn’t a lot of money made on the street on fair day the exact opposite was the case in the public houses and restaurants.
After five record breaking days of the annual Patrick O’Keeffe Traditional Music Festival the previous weekend, they had another phenomenal day’s trading and it continued long after the main activity of the day ceased and was confined to history and memory.
Darkness Set in Rapidly
Darkness set in rapidly that evening because of the overcast nature of the day. But the fair lasted up to 4pm before the Kerry County Council crew took over and brushed and hosed all traces of horse fair day 2024 from Castleisland’s new footpaths and recently resurfaced street.
It was a job that heavy rain often did earlier on days when weather conditions weren’t as conducive to the kind of fun and enjoyment last Friday provided.
Nuisance of Halloween Bangers
If there was a dark cloud over the day it was created by the gangs which roamed the more populated market areas of the town and repeatedly threw halloween bangers into the crowds.
They frightened both children and adults not to mention the terrifying impact they had on caged animals which were also on sale at the fair.
Cruelty to Donkeys
Those of us of a certain age know well how the humble donkey played more that its part in the rearing of this little country of ours and many others besides.
Daily trips to and from the creamery, weekly trips to Mass, tough, seasonal campaigns on the bogs were all part of the life of a donkey – with little or no appreciation or reward.
At least two young women expressed disgust on finding donkeys which were showing clear signs of neglect.
Their hooves had not been pared back and had curled up making it difficult and painful for them to walk.
The very fact that their owners brought them to the fair in that neglectful state surely speaks volumes on their ignorance of the needs of the animals in their charge.
5,000 Donkeys in Ireland in 2017
In the in the absence of a reliable census, estimated figures from the Central Statistics Office in 2017 suggest that there were less than 5,000 donkeys in Ireland at that time. As a pet, the donkey is much more at risk in recessionary times than is a working animal.
Cruelty by neglect is now a sad factor in the life of the donkey.
Donkey ownership is clearly on the decline. For those animals in ownership and, in the interests of avoiding acts of cruelty by neglect or any other form of abuse, a proper census of numbers should be compiled.
Campaign of Animal Welfare
Now that there seems to be millions of Euro available for all kinds of causes these days shouldn’t it be possible to establish regional teams of farriers who would set up in areas of high donkey populations a couple of times a year in a campaign of animal welfare.
There may not be much by way of political kudos involved but it would be a nod in the direction of an appreciation for the humble little animal’s contribution to life in Ireland when its services were really needed and given freely.
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