THE BALLABUIDHE Horse Fair is expected to attract up to 3,000 visitors to Dunmanway in west Cork today in a tradition stretching back to at least the 17th century.
And the town expects more than double these numbers tomorrow when Liverpool FC arrive for a friendly against Dunmanway Town.
The horse show and fair at Dunmanway usually follows three days of racing over the August bank holiday weekend, but yesterday’s event was cancelled due to a waterlogged track.
Festival organisers recorded a marked decline in attendance at this year’s races, which normally attract up to 7,000 people.
TJ Daly, secretary of the organisation committee, blamed torrential rain for the washed-out event and attendance figures had plummeted as a result.
“We had fierce rain here all day on Friday and while Saturday was dry for the first day of the races, the track was very cut up by Sunday,” he said.
Yesterday’s racing events were cancelled altogether as track conditions declined further following more heavy rain on Monday night.
“It was a wash out. We had to cancel racing yesterday but even over the weekend crowds were well down on other years,” Mr Daly said.
While attendance figures for racing events on Saturday and Sunday were estimated to be less than 5,000, organisers are expecting up to 3,000 people to turn out for the Ballabuidhe Horse Fair and Horse Show today.
The fair is a traditional focal point for those with an interest in all things equine and attracts visitors from all over the world.
In written records it dates back to 1615, though locals believe the fair predates the 17th century.
Up to 200 horses will be transported from all over Ireland for the fair. Elite horses in a range of classes are then selected to take part in the Ballabuidhe Horse Show and the winning horse earns a top prize of €200 for its owner.
“It’s the only fair of its kind in Ireland as all the activity takes place on the streets and people come from all over the world to see it. The stalls and sellers are here already and the town is gearing up for a big celebration so hopefully the weather will stay fine for us,” Mr Daly said.
The horse fair coincides with another major event for west Cork as Dunmanway Town FC prepare to host a match where they face the might of one of the world’s most famous soccer clubs tomorrow.
The amateur side landed one of the coups of the summer when they optimistically invited last season’s English Premier League runners-up Liverpool to visit, only for their offer to be accepted.
A 7,000-capacity temporary stadium has been erected in the town at a cost of €100,000. If filled the match will have attracted almost three times Dunmanway’s normal population of about 2,500.
The eagerly awaited event, for which tickets sold out in less than an hour, was briefly threatened by an invasion of rabbits who dug holes in the pitch; but they have since been scared away by the construction of the temporary stands.