Horse fair hailed a 'great success'

THE CLEAN-UP operation after the annual Borris Horse Fair began early yesterday morning and was completed in record time.

The fair in the Co Carlow town, an August tradition that dates back to the 16th century, has had well-publicised litter and public order problems in recent years.

Although there was plenty of detritus littering the street after this year’s fair on Monday, it was not on the scale of previous years.

Carlow County Council acting director of services Seán Laffey praised visitors and local people for keeping the town a lot cleaner than it has been in recent years.

The clean-up operation started at 6am yesterday. In previous years it would have gone on all day, but every scrap of rubbish was removed from the streets by 9am.

“Last year we removed 10½ lorry loads. This year it was just 2½ loads,” Mr Laffey said. “It has been far better run this year. People are far more conscientious and the organising and the policing of the event got a lot smoother.”

All the pubs and shops stayed open and there was no trouble reported.

A charter for the Borris Horse Fair was first granted over 400 years ago by Queen Elizabeth I.

The fair attracts a mixed crowd though it is something of a mecca for Travellers who come to buy and sell horses.

Former Green Party minister Mary White, who lives locally, described this year’s festival as a “great success”.

She said the peaceful, orderly way that the festival passed off was a tribute to the work put in by local people and gardaí over the last 15 years. “The main street in Borris is nearly a mile long, but it was packed with people on Monday,” she said.

“To get those kind of crowds in the middle of a recession shows what an attraction this fair is and we should build a festival around it.”