THE ORGANISERS of Puck Fair in Co Kerry yesterday expressed concern that they may not have a goat to crown King Puck in August for the first time in 400 years because the animal chosen for the event has been held up in Northern Ireland due to animal welfare controls.
Puck Fair chairman Declan Mangan explained that the goat chosen to be crowned King Puck this year is coming from Ballycastle in Co Antrim but that Department of Agriculture controls in Northern Ireland may mean the animal will miss the event in Killorglin.
“This year is the 30th anniversary of Ireland’s oldest three fairs working together: Puck Fair, The Lamas Fair in Ballycastle, Co Antrim, and the Great October Horse Fair in Ballinasloe, Co Galway,” said Mr Mangan.
“To celebrate that, Ballycastle offered to catch a goat to become King Puck and they duly captured the king-in-waiting in Fair Head a few days ago but when they went to get clearance to transport the king, the department in the North would only give him a four-day passport.
“Now Ballycastle is 365 miles from Killorglin and a goat can only travel eight hours at a time without being fed, rested and watered and obviously we treat all our kings like royalty so that just doesn’t give us time to have him reign in Killorglin for the three-day festival.”
Mr Mangan said that there is serious concern in Killorglin over the issue, adding that there may not be enough time to put contingency plans in place if the Ballycastle goat doesn’t get a longer passport to allow the animal be brought South.
“Normally it takes our master goatcatcher Frank Joy and his team up to six weeks to catch a goat in the Macgillycuddy Reeks so it will need a miracle from Frank and his team to catch one in time for the fair if we have to revert to Plan B,” said Mr Mangan.
According to spokeswoman at the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland, “the goat does not require a passport but must be accompanied by an Intratrade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC) in order to be exported to the South. This sets out the conditions that the goat must meet in order to be export eligible. We are currently considering this export with our colleagues in [the Republic’s] Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to determine if this goat can comply,” said the spokeswoman.
Puck Fair is expected to attract up to 100,000 visitors over the three days of August 10th-12th with a programme of events which includes a series of free outdoor concerts featuring Aslan, Kila and Onora.
Ballycastle councillor Séamus Blaney, who organised the goat’s capture, said last night: “Negotiations are ongoing and we are confident that we will be able to produce the king for the festival,” he said.
