We had a very interesting and very Irish experience this weekend. We took our Sunday afternoon and drove to a little town in the west of Ireland to a horse fair. Now, in days of old, horse and village fairs would have been a major part of Irish life. They were huge events where deals were made, farm merchandise and household neccesities were sold, games played, and relationships/marriages were arranged. People would look forward to these fairs not because they were a fun day out, but rather because they were one of the only big events each year where people from different areas would mix together. For many these fair days were their chance to see the outside world and to maybe change their family's fortune.
Modern Ireland, however, has moved beyond the old fairs. There is no real need for every town to have a fair, and people now are able to travel and meet friends, family, and new people any time that they want. So...... The fairs are slowly disappearing. We hear that there is still one fair in Lisdoonvarna (Co. Clare) that is a match-making festival. Single people from all over the world travel there to find a match and have a bit of fun. The festival we went to was a horse fair. I could hardly believe it when we walked up, but there in front of us was a massive field with thousands of horses and owners. I really have no idea how many countless horses were there... But the paper estimated that there were about 50,000 visitors to the fair over the weekend. The amazing thing was that it really seemed like just about everyone there had come to buy or sell a horse. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.
It took me a while to build up enough courage to actually go into the sea of men and horses... Now before you chuckle about me being afraid to walk around the field, you need to remember that walking behind horses is not the safest thing to do, and there were horses standing and being ridden everywhere not a really good situation for a city-boy to be walking into. I eventually struck off into the heart of the crowd, and I am really glad that I did. In many ways I felt as if I were stepping back in time. I was amazed to watch so many deals being made just as they had been for generations. There was a certain ritual to the bargaining where one man would make an offer and put out his hand. The other man would then slap it (as if giving five) away and would counter the offer. This would go back and forth several times always with a bit of flare and what appeared to be frustration and annoyance... These rituals did not always end in a deal being struck... But when an agreement was made there was no doubt that it was genuine. The man making the last offer would stand there with his hand still out, while the other man finished thinking it over. The man agreeing would then spit in his hand and slap it firmly into the grasp of the other's. There would be smiles all around, and congratulations would be offered by all the other observers. I couldn't help but stand there in amazement. Here I was, probably the only American in the crowd watching a ritual be repeated time after time just as it had been for generations. I love to watch people, and an event like this was a lot of fun.
