Ballinasloe Horse Fair

Ballinasloe fair has been recorded since at least the eighteenth century and probably ran long before that, and at its height it was among the largest livestock markets in Europe - the horse that carried Napoleon at Waterloo, Marengo, is said to have been sold here, and armies across Europe bought remounts at it. It runs over the first week of October. The Fair Green fills with horses, mostly Irish cobs and traps, and dealing is done in the traditional way: the price argued in public, hands spat on and slapped, a luck penny handed back. It is a major event in the Irish Traveller calendar and a large part of the trade and the culture around it is Traveller. Alongside the horses is a full town festival with a carnival, dog show and entertainment. It is muddy, loud and entirely uncurated - a working fair rather than a display.

What you actually see

• The Fair Green - horses, cobs and traps traded in the open.
• The hand-slap dealing - prices argued publicly and sealed with a luck penny.
• The Traveller community - central to the fair's trade and culture.
• The town festival - carnival, dog show and events around the horse trading.

When to go

The first week of October, with the main horse days midweek. Go early in the day for the trading. Wear boots - the green is churned to mud.

Honest expectations

A working livestock fair, not a show - mud, noise, crowds and animals loose in the crowd. Nothing is arranged for spectators. Horse welfare at fairs has drawn criticism and inspection over the years. Parking and accommodation are difficult during the week.

Nearby

Clonmacnoise is south-east; Athlone and Galway are either side on the M6.