Cahirmee needs more horse sense

HAS anyone else noticed what a curious creature is the annual July 12 Cahirmee Horse Fair in Buttevant, Co Cork, and how delightfully complementary it is to our brethren in Northern Ireland who also hold that particular day dear to their hearts?

I can’t help but feel what a fantastic island nation we are where diverse sectors can come together and share in that wonderfully all-inclusive, all-Ireland pastime-for-a-day which is, in my non-equine, non-marching, non-participating and, indeed, nonplus opinion, little more than an excuse to bring our already limping economy to even further need of double hip and knee replacements.

The Cahirmee Horse Fair, in particular, involves closing the N20 Cork-to-Limerick road — the main south-western artery of the country, linking our second and third cities, along with our western seaboard and regional and international airports.