The Ballinasloe October Fair, Europe’s great horse gathering
For around eight days spanning the first week of October, Ballinasloe hosts a horse fair documented since 1722 and reputed to be the oldest in Europe. These are the nearest B&Bs in the directory, bookable direct with the owner.
Three hundred years of horses on the Fair Green
The Ballinasloe October Fair is reputedly the oldest horse fair in Europe, documented since 1722 and past its 300th anniversary. For around eight days spanning the first week of October, the six-acre Fair Green on Society Street fills with horses, dealers and up to 80,000 visitors across the week.
This is not a re-enactment. Horses and ponies genuinely change hands here in numbers, Irish Draughts and Connemara ponies chief among them, and the dealing is done the way it always was, out in the open, sealed with a slap of hands, with the seller returning a luck penny to the buyer for good fortune.
What a week at the fair looks like
The horse trading is the spine of the week, busiest in the early days, with stalls selling tack and equestrian gear lining the town around it. Around the dealing runs a full festival: the Fair Queen contest, dog shows, street entertainment, music, a funfair and fireworks, with a Country Fair Day rounding out the second weekend.
The fair’s history carries some weight. In the early 1800s the London Times called it the largest fair of its kind in Europe, and continental army buyers were regulars here for two centuries. Local legend even holds that Napoleon’s horse Marengo was bought at Ballinasloe, a story the town enjoys telling even though it has never been proven.
For a visitor the appeal is that none of it is staged. The fair belongs to the people trading at it, which makes it one of the most genuine spectacles in the country and a photographer’s festival like no other in Ireland.
Ballinasloe and getting there
Ballinasloe is the easternmost major town in County Galway, straddling the River Suck where it forms the Roscommon border. The M6 motorway passes just south of the town, putting Galway city about 61 kilometres to the west, Athlone around twenty minutes east and Dublin roughly an hour and a half away.
Accommodation in the immediate area is scarce at the best of times and fair week multiplies the pressure, so the practical play is a bed within striking distance rather than in the town itself. The M6 makes a base well to the east or west of Ballinasloe workable for a day or two at the fair.
B&Bs and guesthouses within reach of the fair
Listings closest to Ballinasloe in the directory, with honest distances shown on each. Coverage in east Galway is still growing, so the nearest beds may be a drive away, and booking early matters.
Frequently asked
Ballinasloe October Fair, common questions
How old is the Ballinasloe October Fair?
It is documented since 1722 and is reputedly the oldest horse fair in Europe, past its 300th anniversary.
Is horse trading still real at the Ballinasloe fair?
Yes, horses and ponies genuinely change hands in numbers, Irish Draughts and Connemara ponies chief among them, dealt with the traditional slap of hands and a luck penny.
How long does the Ballinasloe October Fair run for?
Around eight days spanning the first week of October, busiest for horse trading in the early days and rounded out by a Country Fair Day on the second weekend.
Is it easy to find accommodation near Ballinasloe during the fair?
Accommodation in the immediate area is scarce at the best of times, and fair week multiplies the pressure, so a bed within striking distance via the M6 rather than in the town itself is the practical approach.
Going this year?
Book a bed near the October Fair direct
The October Fair is the most genuine old fair left in Europe, and beds anywhere near it go early. Booking a B&B direct puts a local owner and a flexible arrangement behind your trip to the Fair Green.