School: Accony (roll number 5122)

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1. Local Fairs

   

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   In the old time Ballyheane and Aughagower were the principal places for the fairs. The fair used to be held on St. John's day in Aughagower and on the twentieth of August in Ballyheane. The cattle used to be alifting in the month of Spring and there were hardly able to walk and the people used to send them to the mountains until the weeds would grow on the potatoes. Then when the weeds used to grow the people used to go for the cattle and they used to eat the weeds to put on condition. The sixth of August then became the principal fair day for this part of the country. Then the people began to look after their cattle and feed them far better and they used to sell them on the twentyseventh of June which then became the principal fair day. The fairs are usually held in towns or convenient to them. They are held in towns because the people want to be near the railway to rail them. Buyers never came to the farmers houses long ago. About twenty years ago a man of the name Mr. King from Westport came to the village in our district and he bought about a hundred cattle. The fairs always continued but they are more plentiful now than long ago. Their dates were May Day, the first of July, the first of October, and the eighth of December. All the fairs that are know of used to be held in towns. The Louisburgh fairs are held on the streets of Louisburgh. There is custom paid on cattle sold. Four pence on light cattle and six pence on a cow. This is paid to the land

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. trade
            1. buying and selling (~3,622)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Mary Prendergast

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Aghany, Co. Mayo

   Informant

   Mr Pat Lyons

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Aghany, Co. Mayo