Rain failed to dampen spirits at the ever-popular Borris Fair

FOR years, thousands have flocked to south Carlow on the Catholic Feast of the Assumption for the annual Borris Fair, and this year was no different.

A rainy start didn’t deter the crowds, who gathered to trade, to mingle and to celebrate their heritage and traditions, albeit under the watchful eye of members of the gardaí and Civil Defence.

Borris comes to a standstill on 15 August, with shops, pubs and restaurants closed and traffic restrictions in place as members of the Travelling community come from far and wide, some travelling from abroad to attend.

Visitor Anthony Cash told The Nationalist that he had travelled from Cork. “I’ve been coming here for the past 55 or 56 years. All belonging to me came here, me great-grandfather and mother. It’s always been the tradition … the Travellers’ fair,” he said.

Like many others, Anthony said it’s the sense of occasion and community that brings him back to the Carlow town year after year.

While traditionally one of the country’s oldest horse fairs, traders now sell everything from Christening outfits to caravan equipment, work boots to power tools and everything in between. Rachel, a stall owner selling toys, clothes, bric-a-brac and “a bit of everything”, said she was “busy enough”.

“I come every year. It’s the people, the show, everything going on. We’ll try to sell as much as we can and then we’ll do the mingling afterwards,” she added.

Throughout the day, spirits were high and so were the heels, the hairstyles and the hemlines, with a group of young girls from Cashel telling The Nationalist they hoped the rain didn’t interfere with their outfits.

One of the food vendors described the day as “interesting”. “You meet a lot of characters. We’ve been serving food here for years”, said the Kilkenny woman.

Another trader said it was a “grand day. I’ve been coming every year for the last ten years selling second-hand stuff. It’s very quiet so far this year, but the day is nice and it’s dry. I’m originally from Galway. It’s about keeping to old traditions. If we don’t hold on to our traditions, then we start to lose who we are as Travellers”, he said, adding: “It’s about getting out and about, seeing new people and having an auld chat.”

 The day passed without incident, with Superintendent Anthony Farrell telling The Nationalist: “Gauging its success by the number of incidents reported to An Garda Síochána, by any standard it would be deemed a success.” However, he noted the inconvenience caused to those living locally. “It has been a large discommode to residents in the area and we thank them for their ongoing participation and support. It was a joint collaborative effort between gardaí, the local authority, the Civil Defence and indeed the local first responders, which all made the event successful.” 

A clean-up operation took place over the weekend, while three days of traffic restrictions were lifted on Friday evening.