The general estimate was that 20,000 people attended Puck this year. Our personal estimate was that there was one pub to every 500 people, and, as the ceremonies attending King Puck's enthronement seemed to have started a raging thirst in everybody who was present, the necessary quenching was more than somewhat congested. In spite of the crowds, however, the atmosphere was conspicuously good-humoured, and through the long night that followed not only did we see no brawling, but we did not hear a single harsh word. As the people of the "Kingdom" have some reputation for being quick in the temper and ready with the fists we were pleasantly surprised.
We had hoped that Puck would provide a few new ballads for our collection, as we knew that it used to be famous as the scene of the presentation of the new ballads of the year. But we found that even in Killorglin the jazz age has silenced the traditional bards of the countryside almost completely.
"For Ever and Ever" and "Jealous Heart" dominated the pubs, just as they had been the main themes from the loudspeakers in the square. We had almost given up hope of finding a real ballad-singer when one of us spotted an old tinker woman with a sheaf of broadsheets. She had a face like Kathleen Ni Houlihan after the mortgage on the four green fields had been foreclosed. We lavished largesse upon her, lubricated her larynx with a pint, and asked her to sing. She sang willingly enough. The trouble was that we couldn't get her to stop, and the only song she knew was: "Biddy Mulligan, the Pride of the Coombe".
The Irish Times, August 16th, 1950.