Small is beautiful as fair day draws a crowd
For it was the little animals that grabbed most attention, none more than the Falabellas – one of the smallest horse breeds in the world, well below three metres in height.
The pen with the Falabellas was located just outside the door of JR McCarthy’s hardware store, on the stylishly named East Park Lane and the vendor, Pat O’Keeffe, of Ballyhar, Killarney, was busy answering questions from potential customers.
“The Falabellas keep the grass down. You won’t need any lawn mower with them. Save on the petrol,” was Pat’s sales pitch.
Kenmare pensioner Tom Jones was clearly impressed and, after the ritual spit and slap on the hand to clinch a deal, he went home with a pair of the South American horses.
Tom negotiated a price of €800, down from €1,100.
“I want them basically as pets and they’re nice for grandchildren. And they’re away better than sheep for keeping the lawn in trim – at least I won’t have to shear them.”
Hens, chickens, ducks and feathers were all over the fair, with dealer Mike Gloser, from Tralee, saying more and more people were keeping poultry.
Mike, a German who speaks with a rolling Kerry accent, felt it was all part of a trend where people wanted to know the provenance of their food. Young families, especially, liked to have their own eggs and their own chickens for the table, he noted.
“A hen is the easiest thing in the world to mind,” eulogised Mike, who is well known at fairs. “She’ll throw you six eggs in the week and take off Sundays to go to Mass, or recover from a hangover, or whatever. And she’s back laying on Monday. There are definitely two good seasons in a hen.”
Kenmare Fair – traditionally held on August 15 but moved to the following day whenever the date falls on a Sunday – is mainly about horses and, to a lesser extent, cattle.
Trading in horses was slow. John Joe Murphy, of Barraduff, Co Kerry, was still waiting for an offer for his three-year-old gelding, 90 minutes after arriving at the fair.
“Much the same as Puck, there’s very little demand for horses. Things have changed because people haven’t the money: it’s as simple as that.”
Marts may have taken over in relation to cattle sales, but people such as brothers Donal and Tom Kissane, of Beaufort, Co Kerry, maintain a custom by bringing bullocks and in-calf heifers to the fair. “Cattle are still sold here. We come here every year and try to get the best price we can,” said Donal.
Some people who came to the fair with nothing in particular in mind went home with something they didn’t expect to buy – like the man who reportedly paid €50 for a “house-trained” ferret, or the purchasers of lovable sheepdog pups whose mother is reputed to be one of the all-time greats in her field.
