‘Poor man’s cow’ has a rich heritage

IT has often been said that Puck Fair, in Killorglin, is a primitive festival, built around homage to a hairy, long-horned goat, not to mention worship, at the same time, of the god Bacchus.

But the goats that really matter today are tame – even friendly – unlike their wild relative that “presides” over one of Ireland’s most famous fairs from a lofty perch 50 ft above the heads of thousands of revellers “acting the goat” beneath his cage.

For all his regal trappings – there’s even a crown placed around his horns – the Killorglin puck is a figure of frivolity. His tamer relations, however, have a different, far more practical image. The goat, an old friend of humanity, is regaining some of the respect it once enjoyed.