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The Banagher Horse Fair, the oldest horse fair in Ireland, is held every September in Banagher, County Offaly, Republic of Ireland.
Founded by a Royal Charter from Charles I, approx 1608 it has been run every year since. It was an important fair for the British Army to purchase horses for the cavalry regiments.
Banagher will always have an Annual Street Horse Fair. It is a Chartered given right. The tradition is extremely strong. It has been passed down through the centuries. A campaign against the fair has culminated in the Garda Síochána, and Inspectors from the Department of Agriculture attempting to shut down the fair, on instruction of Offaly County Council headed by local councillors John Leahy and Peter Ormonde. However, locals held the fair regardless, a much smaller affair on top of the hill. In 2015 huge crowds came to show solidarity with the locals. Fans of the horsefair think that future looks bright for this long old traditional way of life.
Attempts were made to have the horsefair moved from its traditional pitch at Market Square in the town out to the new bypass, but the sheer size of the fair meant that that was not possible to enforce. A number of supporters of the fair were in the early stages of organising a campaign to keep the fair alive, being as one said "one of the better traditions left from the times as part of the UK". Banagher Horse Fair is a traditional street fair . The horse fair was never controversial until the authorities started to interfere . There was never any hassle with the fair until recently when county councillors got involved .
The counties of Ireland are historic administrative divisions of the island. They began as Norman structures, and as the powers exercised by the Cambro-Norman barons and the Old English nobility waned over time, new offices of political control came to be established at a county level. The number of counties varied depending on the time period, however thirty-two is the traditionally accepted and used number.
Kimbolton is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. Kimbolton is about 9 miles (14 km) west of Huntingdon and 14 miles (23 km) north of Bedford.
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain. Offaly County Council is the local authority for the county. The county population was 82,668 at the 2022 census.
A fair 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 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.
Banagher is a town in Ireland, located in the midlands, on the western edge of County Offaly in the province of Leinster, on the banks of the River Shannon. The town had a population of 3,000 at the height of its economic growth in the mid-19th century. According to the 2022 census, its population was 1,907.
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Lusmagh is a civil parish in County Offaly, Ireland, bounded by three rivers: the Shannon, Lusmagh and Little Brosna to the west, east and south respectively. The town of Banagher is northeast across the River Lusmagh. Lusmagh was considered part of County Galway in 1628 and Connacht until 1373; the Lusmagh Roman Catholic parish is the only one in the Diocese of Clonfert east of the Shannon. According to the history of the O'Kellys of Hy-Many, Lusmhaigh means the plain of the healing herbs. In Christian times, the parish was named Cill Mochonna, "the Church of Mo Chua". Saint Mo Chua of Balla, also called Crónán, founded a monastery in 600 on the site of Cloghan Castle. The name Lusmagh was restored to the Catholic parish around 1810. Its parish church, named after St. Crónán, is about three miles southwest of Banagher.
Cahirmee Horse Fair is held on 12 July every year in the town of Buttevant, County Cork, Ireland.
A horse fair is a fair where people buy and sell horses.
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The N62 road is a national secondary road in Ireland. It links the M6 motorway east of Athlone, County Westmeath with junction 6 of the M8 motorway at Kilnoe near Horse and Jockey in County Tipperary, 96.625 kilometres (60.040 mi) to the south. The route also forms a junction with the M7 motorway south of Roscrea.
Meelick is a townland on the River Shannon in County Galway, Ireland. It lies approximately 4 km southeast of the village of Eyrecourt. According to local sources, it is home to the oldest church still in use in Ireland having been given papal permission and built in 1414 AD. Meelick is also home to Meelick-Eyrecourt hurling club, which was founded in 1884. Meelick has a small pub which is known locally as "George's/The Shop". The area hosts a kayaking festival each year after the boating season halts in winter.
Hubert Rigney is an Irish former sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club St Rynagh's and with the Offaly senior inter-county team from 1990 until 2002.
Banagher is a parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The parish is made up of the medieval parish of Banagher and parts of the ancient parish of Boveva and the townland of Tireighter and Park, once in the parish of Cumber. Banagher has many ancient monuments, including churches, holy wells, standing stones and chambered graves.
Patrick Joseph Whelahan, better known as Pad Joe Whelahan, is an Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club St Rynagh's and with the Offaly senior inter-county team in the 1960s and 1970s. Whelahan later served as manager of the Offaly and Limerick senior inter-county teams. He has also had a very successful career as manager of club sides Birr and Toomevara.
A charter fair in England is a street fair or market which was established by Royal Charter. Many charter fairs date back to the Middle Ages, with their heyday occurring during the 13th century. Originally, most charter fairs started as street markets but since the 19th century the trading aspect has been superseded by entertainment; many charter fairs are now the venue for travelling funfairs run by showmen.
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The Ballinasloe Horse Fair is a horse fair which is held annually at Ballinasloe, the second largest town in County Galway, in the western part of Ireland. It is Europe's oldest and largest horse fair, dating back to the 18th century. The annual event attracts up to 80,000 visitors. This festival is one of the most important social and economic events in the life of the town. The town also hosts other horse and pony riding, show jumping and other equestrian activities throughout the year.
The Bull of Navan is a prominent stone sculpture in the town of Navan, in County Meath, Ireland. The statue was sculpted by Galway sculptor Colin Grehan and depicts a large bull being restrained by two men. The image of the bull has historic significance for the town of Navan, where many livestock fairs were held.
Lia Fáil was a minor nationalist political party and movement in Ireland during the 1950s and the early 1960s. It espoused an extremist far right populist agrarian ideology mostly driven by the party's founder and leader Father John Fahy.
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