On this Day: Memories of the Harvest Fair, the Biggest Day of the Year in Ballyshannon

On this day 16th September remembering the Harvest Fair, the  biggest day of the year in Ballyshannon. The swingboats and dodgems in the Market Yard and the Bargain King in the Diamond. The hustle and bustle of the cattle, horses and pigs in the Fair Green area, the stalls in the Diamond and elsewhere, strong men, escapologists, musicians and  gamblers. As the photos show this was a day when the town was packed and many lasting friendships were renewed and formed------ Memories for young and old of happy days.

Stalls and Swingboats in The Diamond and the Market Yard

Canvas stalls in the Diamond sold hardware, farm implements, footware and all the requirements of the housewife. The Cheap Jacks sold their second-hand clothes to an appreciative audience who were also entertained by the quack doctors who could cure all known ailments with their special mixtures. Many romances for young people started at the fair often in the Market Yard where the swingboats and the bumping cars were in full swing. Ballyshannon had plenty of eating houses in the great days of the Harvest Fair. The Harvest Fair was where town met country and great dealing and shopping kept the local economy going. Ballad singers were a regular feature of the early fair and their popular ballads were sold on sheets of paper, as people learned the words of the new songs. In modern times people remember “The Bargain King” with his great wit and quick one liners who entertained large crowds for hours as he encouraged them to buy his goods.

“The basket-bearing goodwives slowly move,

White-capt, with colour’d kerchief tied above,

On foot, or in the cart-front placed on high

To jolt along in lumbering luxury;

Men, women, pigs, cows, sheep and horses tend

One way, and to the Harvest Fair they wend.”

William Allingham

Harvest Fair Memories from The Fair Green and the Pig Market

For hundreds of years the Harvest Fair in Ballyshannon has been the major social gathering where town and country came together; to barter and to buy, to meet and to greet. People  from Fermanagh, Leitrim , Sligo and Donegal travelled to what was a much talked about event. Cattle dealers from various parts of Ireland assembled at the Fair Green and the mixture of western and northern accents, together with the roars of the livestock, created an unforgettable atmosphere. Horses were trotted along the road from Bishop Street to Bachelor’s Walk; and the Pig Market (now a car park opposite the Abbey Centre) was a scene of hustle and bustle.

In the Fair Green in bygone days, drinking booths were set up; peep shows, penny theatres, shooting galleries, wheels of fortune and merry-go-rounds, all catered for the amusement of both town and country people. Before the introduction of steam, the local fair was the sole market to which the farmer had access for his cattle, horses, sheep and pigs. With the introduction of steam railways, animals were shipped to Scotland and England where there was a ready market in the industrial town and cities. Before the steam age, towns like Ballyshannon were self contained with their own trades and crafts produced to supply most local needs - distillers, brewers, hatters, glovemakers, salt makers, shoemakers etc. The age of steam brought progress but also competition to many local crafts, not all of which, could compete with manufactured goods.

The Famous Truce Harvest Fair in Ballyshannon 1921

The Truce between the British and Irish  in the War of Independence ( 1919-1921) was agreed for the 11th July, 1921, and  a few days later talks began in London. Despite all these high powered meetings, events like the Harvest Fair in Ballyshannon  continued to be held. Yet thoughts of  the talks in London were not far from the mind of those attending the Fair. The Harvest Fair on the 16th  September 1921 was called The Truce Harvest Fair by the local newspaper which reported on a tradition that united town and country at harvest time. In 1921 the buying and selling of cattle was only fair, with a good show of horses although prices were back a bit from previous years.  In the centre of town clothes stalls, hardware and agricultural goods were sold by quick-witted salesmen whilst the gambling fraternity parted with their hard-earned money at gambling tables. Strong men who challenged all comers, men tied up in chains who miraculously freed themselves and fortune tellers who predicted bright futures all had their supporters.

“Kevin Barry” and “Johnston’s Motor Car” popular songs at Ballyshannon Harvest Fair 100 Years Ago

The Truce Harvest Fair of 1921 saw huge crowds in town and the occasion was blessed with brilliant sunshine. Many people dressed in their Sunday best and were proud to boast that they had never missed a fair. Cantmen carried on their sales pitch with their glib and humorous repartee. However the ballad singers stole the show, with the most popular ballad being that to the dead boy- patriot, ‘Kevin Barry’. The ballad singers were heard through the town and had many customers for their ballad sheets. Another popular ballad which people purchased on the day was the topical ‘Johnston’s Motor Car’.

The young ladies of the St. Vincent De Paul sold flags with all the proceeds going to charity. One thing missing from the Harvest Fair of 1921 was the hobby horses which in former years had been a meeting place for the young and not so young. Nevertheless the young people carried on the age old custom of courting down the Mall and in other areas of the town. The older people headed home but many younger people travelled to Bundoran for a ceilidh.

          "Ballyshannon News" a rare copy of a local news bulletin by John Moore printed 

              in his  home in  the Abbey in the 1960s; a man who went on to become a national journalist. 

The above page describes the Harvest Fair of 1960

So life went on and so did Ballyshannon Harvest Fair which is still in the memory of many people as the Biggest Day of the Year in Ballyshannon.

                                        It was down near Tullygannon and some miles from Ballyshannon,

When I was young and merry, light in spirit I declare.

There I met a colleen comely, she had winsome ways and homely,

                 She was driving in her donkey cart to Ballyshannon Fair.

Limited edition quality hardback with dust jacket as above available in A Novel Idea and Local Hands Ballyshannon and 

Four Masters Bookshop Donegal Town. Also available signed copies for postage or collection from anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com

Topics include: How to go about Tracing your Roots/The first settlers in the area/ Newly researched history of the town of Ballyshannon and the townlands in Kilbarron and Mágh Éne parishes/ Records of the first travellers and tourists to Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Belleek, Rossnowlagh and Ballintra/An aerial guide to place names along the Erne from Ballyshannon to the Bar/Flora and Fauna of the area/ A history of buildings and housing estates in the locality/Graveyard Inscriptions from the Abbey graveyard, St. Joseph’s and St. Anne’s /Rolling back the years with many memories of the Great Famine, Independence struggle, hydro-electric scheme, Gaelic games, boxing, handball, Boy Scouts, soccer, mummers, characters, organisations, folklore and lots more.