Anxious moments at Puck Fair as crown for monarch goes astray

There were anxious moments at the coronation of Ireland’s only King when just as he was brought up on stage, it was discovered there was no crown for the wild male goat who is to reign at the 402nd Puck Fair.

The crown of “the only King of the Atlantic Way” had gone off in the back of a van that was halfway to Cahersiveen, chairman of Puck Declan Mangan revealed at 5.50pm yesterday.

Her majesty 12-year-old Ciara O’Brien, this year’s Queen of Puck, who arrived in a float, waited in a dignified fashion until – several renditions later of An Puc Ar Buile the crown was recovered. And at exactly 6pm rather than Angelus Bells, a further rendition rang out over the hill town again.

The goat is to reign for three days from his perch high above the banks of the River Laune. Crowds gathered from late afternoon to sample the wares of the stall holders on Bridge and Langford Streets.

The bright sunshine led to a cheery atmosphere with gardaí on duty exchanging pleasantries with locals and visitors.

Monday was “Gathering Day” and together at their first Puck in 10 years were mother Mary Hooper from Mallow and her daughter Laura McCarthy, who is home from Australia.

“I love Puck. I love the stalls,” said Ms Hooper.

And if the numbers of stalls were down – still estimated at more than 200 – “all the good ones were back again”, in the words of the Galway jewellery maker on Bridge Street, who arrives each year.

Laurell Lee, the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, was plying her trade in fortune telling beside the old Wesleyan Church. The church is no longer in use but was serving tea in aid of The Irish Pilgrimage Trust.

‘Spinning mop’

Practical matters dominated the stalls this year. And in among the potato peelers and the power tools, this year’s hit was “the spinning mop”.

On Bridge Street, two slick salesmen were offering the magical mop with two heads for €20, but the woman near the court house was offering it for just €17 and she had two colours – pink and blue.

The horse fair which was taking place from early morning was a bit forlorn.

Donal Grady, a Kerry county councillor who has been visiting Puck’s horse fair for 41 years, said equine numbers had halved and there were fewer buyers.

A steward – one of dozens of volunteers who give their time to organising the fair each year – said: “The horse fair is finished . . . they will be leaving horses in the field tonight. It costs too much to fed them and to keep them.”

It was far from the heady days of the Celtic Tiger when children’s ponies sold for big money.

The cattle fair is on Tuesday and Wednesday is Scattering Day, when the festival closes with a massive fireworks display over the River Laune.