School: Long an Inbhair

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1. Fairs

   

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   Long ago there was a fair held in the rocks in Lurganure beside or school, and about one hundred and fifty years ago it was quite a common thing for fairs to be held at cross roads, and other meeting places. Some dealers still come to farmers' houses to buy cattle or horses, and others meet the farmers on the roads, when bringing the cattle to the fairs, and often the farmers sell the cattle to them. The fairs are held in certain places of the streets called “greens”, and in each town there is a “cattle green” a “horse green”, and a “pig green”. Toll was paid to certain people in each town appointed for the purchase, and the amount given was 3d or 4D a head. There is still a luckypenny given to the person who buys the animal, and the luckypenny depends on the type of animal, and the bargain made. The luckypenny given on a horse is 5/= or 10/=, on a cow 2/6 or 2/=, or a calf 1/= or ⅙ on a sow 2/=, on a pig 3d or 6d, and on a sheep 18 , and the luckypenny often depends on the generosity of the giver. The cattle that are bought, are marked with “heel”, or sometimes a grain of hair is cut with a scissors, and more people only mark them with a bit of first in the street. Long ago there used to be a great horse fair held at the rock of Muff on the 12th August, and people from

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. trade
            1. buying and selling (~3,622)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Thomas Nulty

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   John Denning

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   78

   Address

   Lurgananure, Co. Cavan