School: Bellanagare (roll number 2968)
- Location:
- Bellanagare, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Seán Mac Dochair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0244, Page 108
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- The majority of the people around Ballinagare are an agriculture community and they buy and sell their stock at the local fairs. The local fairs are Frenchpark, Elphin and Castlerea. No fair has been held in my district since 1917. It was disorganised on account of its inconvienance, having no railway stations nearby.
Long ago it was held on the 6th January. It was one of the most important fairs in Roscommon. The fair consisted of three parts cattle, pigs and horses. The cattle were sold on the Fair green, the pigs were sold on the Castlerea road and horses were sold from the school to the bridge on the Elphin road.
At this fair toll was collected. It was the rent for the Fair Green and was given to the O'Conor Don. It was collected by a man called Patrick Brennan and the place where it was collected was called "The Toll Gap".
The toll on a cow was ninepence, on a calf threepence and on a pig twopence. When a horse was sold the seller had to buy a new halter and give it to the buyer. The animals were marked by raddle or by a scissors.
When a bargain was made the parties concerned showed their agreement by shaking hands. There was also luck's penny given to the buyer when the money was paid over
- Collector
- Eileen Mc Cormack
- Gender
- Female
- Informant
- Terence Ryan
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 74
- Address
- Drummin, Co. Roscommon
