Q Will the new Smithfield horse fair be too tame an affair?
Tomorrow marks the return of Smithfield horse fair, the first to be organised under new bylaws. Dublin City Council is hoping it will be a tame affair.
A magnet for tourists in search of the real Ireland, the once monthly market was consistently condemned by the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals . Residents in the apartment blocks around the plaza said they felt under siege.
The council had for years sought to shut the fair down. However, horse traders possessed an ancient right to hold their sales on the land.
Things came to a head in 2011 when riders on the westbound Luas line might well have thought they had reached the Wild West. Amid horses roaming wild on the plaza, two men were shot and another injured with a slash hook.
Following the violence, the council asked Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton to introduce legislation to shut the fair down. 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.
In January, City Hall passed new laws to ensure “the orderly running and management of the horse fair, the safety of all persons attending and the welfare of animals”.
The new fair will now be held just twice a year, from 9am to 1.30pm on the first Sunday of March and September, postponed to the second Sunday on bank holiday weekends.
Sellers are now required to buy a casual trading licence. Horse owners had until noon yesterday to apply to bring an animal to Sunday’s fair.
With licences costing €10 per horse, just 49 were bought. If more than 49 horses show up, either someone is in fancy dress or they are liable for a fine of up to €1,900.
Under the new bylaws, animals that are “infirm, diseased, ill, injured or fatigued” will not be permitted into the fair. Adequate food and water must be provided and trotting, cantering or galloping are all outlawed. In addition, those in charge of a horse must be over 16.
The March fair, also known as the stallion fair, was traditionally the busiest of the year. So will the new bylaws make it a less colourful affair? I’m sure the horses hope so.
