School: An Clochar, Cathair Saidhbhín (roll number 13542)
- Location:
- Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: An tSr. M. de Lourdes Stac
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0476, Page 297
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- XML “Fairs”
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- Our old time fairs like many other of our Irish customs are quickly sinking into oblivion. The little village fairs and markets are being forgotten; soon we will hear that the Puck Fair is becoming a thing of the past.In olden times jobbers went about from house to house so as to buy cattle cheaper than they would at local fairs. There was one such jobber named Coakley who was a native of Inchageela. He was a man tall in stature, wearing a soiled water-proof as all jobbers do, and he took his money about with him in a cocoa-box. Though it was said that he owned lots of money one would scarcely believe it judging by his appearance. He used to sell shoe laces so as to escape detection and so save himself being robbed. He left Killorglin one fair evening after he had bought a cow and both he and the cow walked all the way to Inchageela where they arrived the next evening. Two very well known fairs which were held in Sneem were Patrick's Day fair and St. Peter and Paul's Day fair. On these two notable days people used to come from all the surrounding districts with their sheep and cattle. People from far away started out on the day before and went over the mountain tops to Sneem. They travelled up hill and down dale, over bogland and marsh with a wattle slung over the shoulder to which their shoes were attached. They wore their caps turned back to front and they folded up the legs of their pants to the knees, then they did not mind the splashes of mud and water. When the people of their respective districts went to(continues on next page)
