‘King Puck’ will only be raised for a few hours on the opening and closing day and will not remain on the stand over the town for the duration of the event, as had been the traditional practice.
Over the years, the festival has been marred by controversy surrounding the goat’s role in the festival. These controversies raged all the more last year as temperatures soared during Puck, and the welfare of the goat attracted major headlines. Festival organisers remained defiant that the goat was well looked after and cared for during the high temperatures, and would continue to hold his role in the town.
However, change has now come into place.
This year, King Puck will be coronated and raised for a short period on the opening evening of the Fair. He will then leave his stand before making a brief reappearance for his dethroning ceremony on the final day of Puck Fair. This marks a significant departure from the tradition of King Puck remaining on his stand above the town for all three days of the Festival.
The decision recognises that the role of King Puck needs to evolve, while also maintaining the integrity of the festival’s traditions, the organising committee said. The new approach was unanimously agreed by the Puck Fair Committee.
“We are a festival steeped in longstanding traditions, but equally, we acknowledge that traditions can and should evolve where there is good reason to do so. While King Puck will still be a major part of the festival, this year his role has evolved. The goat’s welfare has always been and remains of paramount importance to the committee and all of those that love Puck Fair,” said chairperson Declan Mangan.
Puck Fair was launched this week with a programme of free events suitable for all ages, and once again it is expected to be a highlight of the summer season as Killorglin gets ready to welcome up to 100,000 visitors.
Puck Fair, which runs annually on August 10, 11 and 12, is Ireland’s oldest gathering festival, with ties to the traditional celebrations of Lughnasa. Some of today’s festival’s traditions can be traced back as far as 1613!
As always, this year’s festival will feature an extensive agenda of free family fun activities, children’s entertainment and musical acts, with thousands of visitors expected from across the country and further afield.
This year’s musical line-up features a fantastic mix of Irish talent, with acts to appeal to audiences of all tastes and ages. Headline acts this year, which are all free to attend, include the dynamic Fermanagh folk duo the Thumbling Paddies; home-grown contemporary trad group Thingamajig; and acclaimed country music singer Cliona Hagan.
On This Day In History – July 17th
Speaking at the festival’s launch, Mr Falvey highlighted the importance of the festival to the town.
“We are delighted to officially launch the 2023 Fair. It’s a special few days for Killorglin and its diaspora to come together and celebrate the town’s history and traditions, and we look forward to welcoming people from across the globe back to Killorglin this August.”
To kick off the launch of Puck Fair, Leila Mulvihill was crowned as the Queen of the 2023 Festival. Leila hails from a family with longstanding ties to the festival – she is the third generation of her family to wear the crown, following in the proud footsteps of her mother, Cliodhna; and her grand-aunt, Noreen.
Leila, who is a sixth-class student at Scoil Mhuire NS, has always loved the traditions of Puck, from the street stalls and fireworks to the music and coronation procession. An avid performer and keen animal lover, Leila is very excited to take part in this year’s festival.
This year’s queen will also wear a brand-new procession dress, specially designed by dressmaker Ann Kerins.
The full schedule is available on puckfair.ie/schedule/
