HORSE TRADERS yesterday ignored appeals from Dublin City Council not to attend the Smithfield horse fair, with large crowds gathered from early morning for the event.
The March fair, the busiest of the monthly horse markets held in Smithfield plaza, was last year marked by violence during which two men were shot and another was injured with a slash hook.
A strong Garda presence yesterday, along with inspectors from the Revenue Commissioners and the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) ensured the fair was very strictly controlled.
Horses could only be brought into the plaza from a checkpoint at the junction of North King Street and Church Street, and only if the animals were microchipped and owners had the correct paper work. All other entrances to the square were accessible to pedestrians only.
Gardaí reported no significant incidents. There was a stampede shortly after 11am, when a horse bolted in the centre of the square and several dozen people ran to the surrounding streets, but there were no injuries or violence associated with the incident.
The March fair, also known as the stallion fair, is attended by large numbers of foreign traders some of whom said the atmosphere was significantly different from previously years.
“Everyone running like that when a horse got spooked, that wouldn’t have happened two years ago, but everyone’s on edge after last year,” one man who had travelled from the Bolton area said.
Another English-based trader said the animals where more skittish than usual.
DSPCA inspector Liam Kinsella said very few horses yesterday were not microchipped and the animals were mostly in “excellent condition”.
The city council had urged people not to attend the fair because of ongoing improvement works to the plaza which meant more than two-thirds of the space previously occupied by the fair would not be available – even less than last year when around half the plaza was cut off due to the work.
Following the violence last March the council asked Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton to introduce legislation to shut down the fair. Mr Bruton said that following advice from the Attorney General he believed legislation was not necessary as the council had powers to regulate the market.
The council had identified an alternative site for the market in the Ballymun-Finglas area but two years ago abandoned plans for the site because of a lack of funds.
However, the work to the square, which is due to be completed by the summer, might provide an engineering solution to the problem with raised platforms and steps leaving insufficient flat space for the fair to be held.
