What Goes on at the Puck Fair Festival, Ireland

Killorglin, Co. Kerry is the venue for one of the				themselves and their stock.
oldest and definitely most unusual festivals in				Another legend relating to the festival details that
Ireland. The festival is held every year in early				an Act of British Parliament empowered the Lord
August for three days, when King Puck is				Lieutenant in Dublin to make an order making it
honoured over three raucous, wild and amusing				unlawful to levy tolls at horse, cattle or sheep
days and nights.				fairs. Tolls in Killorglin were collected by Mr. Harman
Before the festival begins, a group of people go				Blennerhassett. He enlisted the services of the
up into the mountains and catch a wild billy-goat,				young Daniel O'Connell who directed
the goat is then brought back to the town and				Blennerhassett to hold a goat fair as goats were
the Queen of Puck Fair, who is a sixth class				not covered by the legislation. Thus the fair was
student form Scoil Mhuire, Killorglin crowns him				held with a goat hauled high over the town to
'King Puck'. The goat is then placed in a cage and				show to all that the fair was indeed a goat fair.
hauled up high over the town and the festival				Blennerhassett collected his tolls and the town
commences. The most common story relating to				gained a king.
the origins of King Puck, relates that while				Nowadays the festival contains a very
Cromwell's roundheads were pillaging neighbouring				comprehensive list of events which includes a
villages, they routed a herd of goats, the billy goat				horse fair, cattle fair, traditional Irish music
or 'puck' broke away and headed towards Killorglin.				sessions in countless taverns and on stands in the
His arrival in the town, soaked with sweat and				town, Irish set dancing, street performers and
exhausted alerted the townspeople to the coming				national and international acts on stage trucks
danger and gave them time to protect				around the town.