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31-608: The Ould Lammas Fair is a traditional fair held in Ballycastle , County Antrim , Northern Ireland , every year on the last Monday and Tuesday of August. It is associated with the Lammas harvest festival . The fair has been running for nearly 400 years, with records dating back to the 17th century but having origins possibly much older. Traditionally most of the crowds attending the fair would have been traders from throughout Ireland and from Kintyre , Islay , Jura and elsewhere along
62-529: A ballet entitled Puck Fair , based on a poem about the fair by F.R. Higgins , was staged at the Gaiety Theatre . The ballet was choreographed by Cepta Cullen and composed by Elizabeth Maconchy , with set design by Mainie Jellet . The 2020 and 2021 festivals were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the event returned in 2022. High temperatures necessitated taking the goat down from its high stand for
93-453: A charter granting legal status to the existing fair in Killorglin. Despite this fact, its roots are still unknown, although there are several legends of its origins. One of the legends of the fair is that the event pays tribute to a goat that broke away from its herd, while the rest of the herd headed towards the mountains, and warned the town's inhabitants while the “Roundheads” were pillaging
124-460: A group of people go up into the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountain range and catch a feral goat . The goat is brought back to the town and the "Queen of Puck", traditionally a young school girl from one of the local primary schools, crowns the goat "King Puck". The goat is then put into a small cage on a high stand for three days, and on the 3rd day of the fair, he is brought down to be led back to
155-600: A pretty colleen who set me heart a-glow, She was smiling at her daddy buying lambs from Paddy Roe, At the Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-O. Sure I seen her home that night, When the moon was shining bright, From the ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-O. Chorus At the ould Lammas Fair, boys were you ever there? Were you ever at the Fair In Ballycastle-O? Did you treat your Mary Ann to some Dulse and Yellow Man? At
186-548: A total period of about six weeks, drawing goods and customers from much of Europe. The Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany, still the largest trade fair for the publishing industry, began in the 12th century as a fair for manuscript books. Fairs were usually tied to special Christian feast days , such as the day of the saint of the local church. Stagshaw in England, is documented to have held annual fairs as early as 1293 consisting of
217-511: A wide range of goods, products, and services, and often include competitions, exhibitions, and educational activities. Fairs can be thematic, focusing on specific industries or interests. Variations of fairs include: The Roman fairs were holidays on which work and business such as law courts were suspended. In the Roman provinces of Judea and Syria Palaestina , Jewish rabbis prohibited Jews from participating in fairs in certain towns because
248-592: Is The Puck Fair which is held in Killorglin , County Kerry . One of the traditions of the Puck Fair is the crowning of King Puck, a wild goat typically captured from MacGillycuddy's Reeks and brought back to the town to be crowned. In 1979 King Puck was flown to Belfast in order to attend the Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle. Previously in the 1960s a delegation from Ballycastle made the journey to Killorglin as guests of
279-419: Is when the fair moved to its more traditional location of being centred around The Diamond as well as along Castle Street, Ann Street and Quay Road. Its possible that the fair can trace its origins back even further to the ancient Celtic festival of Lughnasadh , which celebrates the beginning of the harvest season. On 28 August 2001 a Royal Ulster Constabulary officer discovered a large incendiary bomb in
310-538: The largest gathering anywhere in the world. Kumbha means a pitcher and Mela means fair in Sanskrit. In the United States, fairs draw in as many as 150 million people each summer. Children's competitions at an American fair range from breeding small animals to robotics, whilst the organizations National FFA Organization & 4-H have become the traditional associations. The Sirsi Marikamba Devi Fair of
341-527: The Scottish coast. It is widely considered to be the oldest fair in Ireland. Various goods are traditionally sold at the fair. These include livestock and traditional foods such as yellowman , which is a local variant of honeycomb , and dulse , which is a type of edible seaweed. A ballad , The Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle O , was written by local shopkeeper and bog oak carver John Henry MacAuley and enhanced
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#1733085733426372-723: The Stagshaw Bank Fair with masses of people and animals and stalls inspired the Newcastle colloquialism "like a Stagey Bank Fair" to describe a general mess. The American county fair is featured in E. B. White's Charlotte's Web . Puck Fair The Puck Fair ( Irish : Aonach an Phoic , meaning "Fair of the He-Goat", 'poc' being the Irish for a male goat) is one of Ireland 's oldest fairs . It takes place annually from 10–12 August in Killorglin , County Kerry . Every year
403-738: The centre of Ballycastle whilst the fair was running. After the area was cleared British Army bomb disposal experts defused the device. The attempted attack was initially claimed by the Red Hand Defenders . However, the RUC later suggested that it was carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force . The 2020 and 2021 editions of The Ould Lammas Fair were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The fair had been held without interruption for nearly four centuries, including through both world wars. One of
434-576: The countryside around Shanara and Kilgobnet at the foot of the McGillycuddy Reeks. The advancing army of Oliver Cromwell during his conquest of Ireland in the 17th century triggered the pillages around the countryside. The goat's arrival alerted the inhabitants of danger, and they immediately set out to protect the town and their herds. This is explained in the traditional Irish ballad, An Poc ar Buile (the Mad Puck Goat). Scholars speculate that
465-485: The deity is held every alternate year in the month of March and taken through the city Sirsi, Karnataka . It is attended by a very large number of devotees. It is also most famous and biggest fair (Jaatre) of the India. Devotees from all around the state participate in this enormous event indulging themselves in the procession. Amusements for children, circuses, variety of shops, dramas and plays and many such things are set up for
496-608: The delegation stopped at a pub in Ballyvoy , on the road to Fair Head, King Puck escaped with locals saying he became a menace causing damage throughout the area around Ballyvoy village. The story goes that no one could catch him, though someone tried to shoot him, leaving a bullet mark on one of his horns. Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre ) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase
527-460: The fair committee there and Killorglin people reciprocated later in the month. The delegation from Ballycastle brought gifts of yellow man and a recording of the iconic song about the Ould Lammas Fair, with the Killorglin delegation reciprocating by bringing King Puck to Ballycastle. According to local story the plan was for the goat to lead a parade and then be freed at Murlough Bay or nearby Fair Head , where lots of mountain goats roam. However when
558-458: The fair stand for a couple of hours rather than 3 whole days. Tradition dictates that a horse fair takes place on the first day and on the second day there is a cattle fair. There are usually many street vendors during the festival who advertise their wares to the large numbers of tourists who come to Killorglin for the fair. The fair itself is purported to be ancient but can only officially be traced back as far as 1613 when King James I issued
589-581: The fair" - further alluding to the origins of Ballycastle's Ould Lammas Fair. In 1606 Randall MacDonnell obtained a charter entitling him to hold six fairs annually at Dunaneeny Castle, one of which was to be the last Tuesday in August - which coincides with the modern date of The Ould Lammas Fair. Following the decline of Dunaneeny Castle and the MacDonnells of Antrim moving their primary base to Dunluce Castle and eventually Glenarm Castle , its likely that this
620-503: The fair's origins stem from Pre-Christian Ireland , from the Celtic festival of Lughnasa which symbolised the beginning of the harvest season , and that the goat is a pagan fertility symbol. In 1905, that year's King Puck goat, named King Skellig Mör , was purchased by the Knights of Saint Brendan , a fraternal order of Irish-Americans. Following a legal dispute over the goat's ownership, it
651-522: The granting of a holiday status to a fair or protections against arrest for specific laws for the duration of the fair. Officials were authorised to mete out justice to those who attended their fair; this led to even the smallest fair having a court to adjudicate on offences and disputes arising within the fairground. These courts were called a pye powder court (from Old French pieds pouldres , literally "dusty feet", meaning an itinerant trader, from Medieval Latin pedes pulverosi ). The chaotic nature of
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#1733085733426682-465: The harbour is said to be where the fair first began. In 1571 the local chieftain Sorley Boy MacDonnell ordered the celebration of public games for the coming of age of his nephew Gillaspick MacDonnell . The Lammas Fair can trace its origins to these games and the sheep markets held in the area. The Irish language name of the castle, Dún an Aonaigh translates as "fort of the assembly" or "fort of
713-404: The local fame of the fair. MacAuley was also a well known fiddler , but died in 1937 before his song became famous. Widely considered to be one of the oldest annual fairs in Ireland, The Ould Lammas Fair has been running for over 400 years with records dating back to the 17th century. However the origins of the festival may go back further. The ruined fortress of Dunaneeny Castle which overlooks
744-448: The most famous songs hailing from the local area is "The Ould Lammas Fair" written by written by John Henry MacAulay, a shopkeeper in the town and a well known fiddler who died in 1937 before his song gained the fame that it has today. A line in his song; “There’s a neat little cabin on the slopes of fair Knocklayde” is thought to refer to the cottage he grew up in. Lyrics: Verse At the Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle long ago, I met
775-420: The mountains. In the middle of the town square, he is crowned and this signifies that the festivities may begin. The pubs stay open until 3.00 AM which is a legal exception due to the fair as all bars in Ireland normally must close at 2.00 AM. This is a source of contention with the local police . More recently, following significant objections from animal rights groups, "King Puck" has only been displayed on
806-515: The ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-O. Verse In Flander’s fields afar while resting from the War, We drank Bon Sante to the Flemish lassies O. But the scene that haunts my memory is kissing Mary Ann, Her pouting lips all sticky from eating Yellow Man, As we passed the silver Margy and we strolled along the strand, From the ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-O. Chorus Verse There’s a neat little cabin on
837-447: The people. It depicts the story of the goddess killing Mahishasura . Fairs attracted great numbers of people and they often resulted in public order issues and sometimes riots. The holding of fairs was, therefore, granted by royal charter . Initially they were only allowed in towns and places where order could be maintained due to the presence of a bishop, sheriff or governor. Later various benefits were granted to specific fairs, such as
868-570: The religious nature of the fairs contravened the prescribed practice of Judaism . In the Middle Ages , many fairs developed as temporary markets and were especially important for long-distance and international trade , as wholesale traders travelled, sometimes for many days, to fairs where they could be sure to meet those they needed to buy from or sell to. The most famous were the Champagne fairs in northern France, which were spread over six towns for
899-472: The sales of animals. Along with the main fair held on 4 July, the city also hosted smaller fairs throughout the year where specific types of animals were sold, such as one for horses, one for lambs, and one for ewes. The Kumbh Mela , held every twelve years, at Allahabad , Haridwar , Nashik , and Ujjain is one of the largest fairs in India, where more than 60 million people gathered in January 2001, making it
930-453: The slopes of fair Knocklayde, It’s lit by love and sunshine where the heather honey’s made, With the bees ever humming and the children’s joyous call, Resounds across the valley as the shadows fall. Sure I take my fiddle down and my Mary smiling there, Brings back a happy mem’ry of the Lammas Fair. Chorus Another fair which contends for the title of the oldest annually held fair in Ireland
961-587: Was donated to the USS Vermont to serve as its mascot. In 1931, Margaret Murray tied the Puck Fair into her version of the witch-cult hypothesis , asserting that it was a pre-Christian festival in honour of the Horned God . However, historians Jeffrey B. Russell and Brooks Alexander have asserted that "Today, scholars are agreed that Murray was more than just wrong – she was completely and embarrassingly wrong on nearly all of her basic premises." In 1941,