Circus historian and Puck Fair expert dies, 91

ONE of the country’s foremost authorities on the circus, Patrick (Pa) Houlihan, was laid to rest in his native Killorglin, Co Kerry, on Saturday.

Aged 91, he collected a vast store of memorabilia including old circus posters and photographs, with some dating to the late 19th century, which he displayed in a basement museum at his home.

Also an acknowledged expert on Puck Fair, for which Killorglin is famous, he was for many decades among the local men who ceremoniously hoisted a wild mountain goat, crowned King Puck, onto a platform in the town square at the opening of the three-day fair.