The Puck Fair

Every year, the village of Killorglin comes alive for the Puck Fair, a festival that’s nothing less than a livestock fair! Considered one of the country’s oldest festivals, the event attracts some 80,000 visitors every year! The program includes animal stalls of all kinds, and parties in Irish pubs until 3am… All in 3 days!

Attend the Puck Fair

A cattle festival in Killorglin!

Every year on August 10, 11 and 12, Killorglin celebrates its 3-dayPuck Fair…

The event has its origins in a Celtic festival known as Lughnasa, symbolizing the start of the harvest. The goat was a symbol of pagan fertility.

But that’s not all: the Puck Fair also commemorates a historic anecdote: the time when Daniel O’Connell, a famous lawyer, had to defend Killorglin landlord Harman Blennerhasset. He had been forbidden to collect taxes from the villagers on the sale of livestock at the Killorglin fair. Daniel O’Connell then successfully demonstrated that goats were among the animals not mentioned in the law, and that their sale was therefore taxable…

To commemorate this legal victory, Killorglin organizes a three-day cattle fair in August… Pubs are open until 3 a.m., singing, dancing and crowning a goat!

To do this, locals capture a wild goat in the nearby Macgillycuddy Reeks, Ireland’s highest mountain ranges, and bring it back to town. A local schoolgirl, christened “Queen of Puck” for the occasion, must then crown the “King Puck” goat.

This is then placed in a small cage on an elevated stand for three days while locals celebrate the event with markets, entertainment and pubs that stay open until 3am.

At the end of the fair, the goat is released back into the wild.

Day-by-day events

If you’re interested, here’s an overview of the program:

Day 1: The first day includes a traditional horse fair in the morning. King Puck is then taken to the main square, where he meets his queen. She is then asked to write a few words about the event and read her proclamation in front of everyone. It’s at this precise moment that the wild goat is crowned.
Day 2: Fair Day, the heart of the festival. The town of Killorglin then becomes a giant market, with all kinds of vendors! You’ll find animals, handicrafts, jewelry for sale, musical instruments… Competitions are also organized, including music and talent contests, a Bonny Baby contest, storytelling and all kinds of other entertainment.
Day 3: The third day, Dispersion Day, sees the king relieved of his duties and sent back into the wilderness after parading through the city once again. The celebrations continue well into the night, ending in the early hours of the morning.