The number of European horse buyers in Ballinasloe for the annual October Fair has exceeded all expectations – in fact, there were very few horses left unsold at close of business on Monday evening.
There were record crowds in Ballinasloe over the weekend for the horse fair although the numbers on the Monday were slightly down on previous years.
The fair kicked off on Sunday when there was ‘unofficial’ sulky racing on a track beside the Green. Gardai have reported very little trouble although a number of slash hooks were produced over the weekend.
It was thought that there would be major trouble in Ballinasloe following the decision by Galway County Council to ban the tradition of sulky racing which is an opportunity for the Travelling community to ‘flash’ their horses.
But despite the ban, the sulky racing took place and it attracted quite an amount of interest and so, too, did the lunging event – in which horse owners display their animals over jumps on a long rein – as this, too, was under threat of not taking place.
But the intervention of Cllr Michael Finnerty of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail’s Cllr Donal Burke resulted in many of the events going ahead when the future of the fair was under threat.
However, while there were a number of skirmishes among Traveller factions at the fair it was generally quieter than normal with the business community – and particularly the publicans – relishing the additional trade.
It is estimated that there were around 80,000 visitors to Ballinasloe over the weekend but the number of horse buyers from continental Europe took the town by surprise. They were lined up from as early as 5am on Sunday morning.
There were lorries and trailers from Denmark, France and Germany in Ballinasloe with the owners willing to fork out thousands of euros for the horses on display. Most of the horses sold would either be used for breeding purposes or showjumping.
Cllr Michael Finnerty said that despite the supposed ban on sulky racing, this was one of the best festivals ever. “The sulky racing took place despite a ban by Galway County Council and there was very little trouble in the town,” he said.
The FG councillor said that while there was no official opening to the October Fair, there was a huge crowd in Ballinasloe for the horse fair and he was delighted at this. The official opening was abandoned because of the ban on the sulky racing and the possibility of trouble as a result.
The October Fail will continue into next week with showjumping events, tug of war and a country fair day in prospect.