Corporation temporarily closes Smithfield horse fair

The long-standing horse fair held in Smithfield Square in Dublin’s north inner city has been closed temporarily.

"It is a temporary suspension pending finding a more suitable venue," a spokesman for the Corporation told ireland.com.

The closure has come about due to health and safety reasons. "A number of incidents in the past couple of months brought us to this conclusion," the spokesman said.

Earlier this month, a horse escaped from the fair area and bolted down the quays, damaging several cars.

The spokesman said the Corporation could be found liable in cases of damage done by horses from the fair and that they have put "significant" sums into the event. But he said that "under no circumstances is it proposed to abandon the horse fair".

Alternative venues are being looked at at the moment, with the Equine Centre in Ballyfermot mooted as one possibility.