BYGONE DAYS: Horses get a fair showing at Dromore Horse Fair
But while looking through the old News Letter negatives files during lockdown I was lucky enough to come across a number of photos from October 1989 which have captured the fair for posterity.
Among the thousands who attended the seventh annual Dromore Horse Fair in October 1989 there were enthusiasts from Great Britain and Eire, as well as from every county in Northern Ireland.
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Hide AdThe 17 showing classes were well supported with the well-groomed heavy breeds stealing the limelight.
The sale of animals and “horsey gear” took on a new format that year, reported the News Letter, “with street bartering reviving memories of a bygone age”.
Dromore auctioneer and horse fair founder-member Billy Draffin had the knack of “settling the pace for bargaining” and good prices were realised for horses, ponies and donkeys.
An exhibition by the Rare Breeds Society drew a lot of attention, “and with diversification being the order of the day”, a pet dog show and a display of bantams introduced a note of variety to the fair.
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Hide AdMeanwhile the art of horse-shoeing always produced a stream of admirers and expert farrier Irvine Smyth from Waringstown was on hand for demonstrations.
Various sideshows added to the carnival atmosphere and the Punch and Judy stand in the town square delighted excited youngsters.
About 40 market stalls did a roaring trade, with the goods on offer including the ever-popular dulce and yellow man.
The horse fair committee had its own stand, with an abundance of souvenirs, many depicting famous landmarks around Dromore.
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Hide AdThe highlight of the day was a cavalcade of vintage vehicles, and the colourful turnout of the Co Down staghounds headed a delightful array of horse and pony-drawn traps, gigs and carts of yesteryear.
Horse fair committee chairman Robert Baird said months of careful planning had once more paid off.
Do you have any memories of the Dromore Horse Fair? Do you have any photos of from the old fair? Get in touch, email: [email protected].
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