Countdown is on to Ireland's oldest and most unique festival Kerry's Puck Fair
Among the most well-known traditions of the festival is the crowning of a mountain goat as 'King Puck' each year, his coronation being officiated by the Queen of Puck, a local schoolgirl. This year the honour goes to Robyn O'Shea, pupil at Scoil Réalt na Mara in neighbouring Cromane.
'I have had a lifelong love for the history of Puck Fair and have enjoyed celebrating the festival with my family and friends down through the years. It's the atmosphere that grips me the most, with the town coming alive and celebrating amidst all the music playing and the traditions. I am looking forward to welcoming all those to the town who decide to come home to celebrate with us and also all those who come to visit to experience first hand what this great festival has to offer.'
Speaking at the festival's launch, newly elected Kerry TD, Michael Cahill said that he is absolutely delighted to launch Puck Fair 2025.
'Puck Fair, Aonach an Phoic has been celebrated for hundreds of years in this fantastic part of Kerry, where I come from, people set their calendars by Puck. All other events happen either before or after Puck, that is the importance of it,' said Deputy Cahill.
"Thousands of people arrive in Killorglin from every corner of the Globe every 10th, 11th and 12th of August annually, much thanks goes to the fantastic work put in by the local organising committee, in cooperation with An Garda Síochána.'
Chairperson of the organising committee, Declan Falvey, highlighted the importance of the festival to the town
'Puck Fair is Ireland's oldest festival, and one of the most anticipated events in the Killorglin calendar annually. This year, as always, we have a stellar line up of musicians and activities, so look forward to welcoming crowds from far and wide to Killorglin over the three days of the festival.'
This year's festival will also include a fantastic line-up of Irish talent, with musical acts and performances which will cater to audiences of all tastes and ages. Headline acts for this year's festival, which are all free to attend, include the supercharged musical act, The Fogues, the Celtic Irish Rock group Erin's Fury, the long established South West of Ireland Group Truly Diverse, and Jack Keogh.
The full list of events for the festival is at https://puckfair.ie/?bcrFallback=bcrFallback
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Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Irish Independent
Countdown is on to Ireland's oldest and most unique festival Kerry's Puck Fair
Puck Fair, which runs annually on August 10th, 11th and 12th, can trace its roots back to the ancient Pagan festival of Lughnasa. Among the most well-known traditions of the festival is the crowning of a mountain goat as 'King Puck' each year, his coronation being officiated by the Queen of Puck, a local schoolgirl. This year the honour goes to Robyn O'Shea, pupil at Scoil Réalt na Mara in neighbouring Cromane. 'I have had a lifelong love for the history of Puck Fair and have enjoyed celebrating the festival with my family and friends down through the years. It's the atmosphere that grips me the most, with the town coming alive and celebrating amidst all the music playing and the traditions. I am looking forward to welcoming all those to the town who decide to come home to celebrate with us and also all those who come to visit to experience first hand what this great festival has to offer.' Speaking at the festival's launch, newly elected Kerry TD, Michael Cahill said that he is absolutely delighted to launch Puck Fair 2025. 'Puck Fair, Aonach an Phoic has been celebrated for hundreds of years in this fantastic part of Kerry, where I come from, people set their calendars by Puck. All other events happen either before or after Puck, that is the importance of it,' said Deputy Cahill. "Thousands of people arrive in Killorglin from every corner of the Globe every 10th, 11th and 12th of August annually, much thanks goes to the fantastic work put in by the local organising committee, in cooperation with An Garda Síochána.' Chairperson of the organising committee, Declan Falvey, highlighted the importance of the festival to the town 'Puck Fair is Ireland's oldest festival, and one of the most anticipated events in the Killorglin calendar annually. This year, as always, we have a stellar line up of musicians and activities, so look forward to welcoming crowds from far and wide to Killorglin over the three days of the festival.' This year's festival will also include a fantastic line-up of Irish talent, with musical acts and performances which will cater to audiences of all tastes and ages. Headline acts for this year's festival, which are all free to attend, include the supercharged musical act, The Fogues, the Celtic Irish Rock group Erin's Fury, the long established South West of Ireland Group Truly Diverse, and Jack Keogh. The full list of events for the festival is at
Irish Times
22-07-2025
- Irish Times
Late-night drinking at Puck Fair survives court challenge with pubs to stay open until 3am
Puck Fair , one of Ireland's oldest festivals, will see its late-night drinking tradition survive for 2025 after an appeal by publicans in Killorglin succeeded at the Circuit Court in Killarney on Tuesday. The Co Kerry festival sees a goat crowned king for three days and three nights, with daytime activities and street entertainment alongside traditional late opening at pubs. Fourteen Killorglin publicans applied on July 10th to the District Court, sitting in Cahersiveen, for the annual special exemption to their licences over the three principal nights of the August event, known as Gathering (August 10th), Fair (August 11th) and Scattering (12th) However, gardaí objected on the grounds of straitened resources. District Court judge David Waters set closing time at 2am in line with the Garda submission, saying the fair was not all about drinking. READ MORE On Tuesday in the Circuit Court in Killarney, Judge Terence O'Sullivan said he saw no grounds to shorten Puck Fair's traditional drinking time. The fair dates to 1603, the last year of the reign of King James I of England, Judge O'Sullivan noted. Since the 1970s, the pub closing time at Puck has been 3am. 'Prior to that, there was a 24-hour opening of the pubs in Killorglin,' barrister Katie O'Connell, instructed by solicitor John O'Dwyer, had told the court. All-day and family activities took place and afterwards people would go for a drink, she said. Street entertainment ended at midnight and then the fair volunteers would like to go for a drink to relax and enjoy themselves. Puck Fair was 'bigger than Christmas' for people from the region, the barrister said. The statue of the Puck Goat sits at the entrance to the town and economically the festival is important to Killorglin. Only the gardaí, not the locals, had objected, Ms O'Connell added. Garda Supt John Ryan said Garda objections were twofold. The pubs received a 2am exemption the night before Puck Fair and gardaí felt four nights to 2am was sufficient; and having pubs open to 3am required additional police resources, making the reduction reasonable, he said. State solicitor Diane Reidy said the issue was one of resources, not public order, and Puck Fair was the only festival in Kerry seeking to open to 3am. In his decision, Judge O'Sullivan said the traditional opening had been to 3am, and there was no evidence of anyone in the locality objecting on noise or nuisance. He said he did not see any grounds to depart from the tradition.
Irish Independent
20-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Galway International Arts Festival 2025: Everything you need to know about its stunning street spectacle
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