Nine-day festival Ballinasloe Fair & Festival launched

The programme of events for the 2011 Ballinasloe October Fair was officially launched by Mayor of Ballinasloe, Cllr Mike Kelly at a special reception hosted by the Carlton Shearwater Hotel in Ballinasloe on Monday night. Attended by sponsors, local councillors and officials, committee members and volunteers, the launch event marks the beginning of the countdown to this long standing traditional fair which is set to attract upwards on 85,000 visitors to Ballinasloe from Saturday 1st to Sunday 9th October. Speaking at the launch of the nine day programme, Tim Broderick, Chairperson of the Ballinasloe October Horse Fair committee said: "The Ballinasloe October Horse Fair owes a debt of gratitude to all our sponsors and in particular to our local sponsors, without whose help this 300-year-old Fair would not survive. Support from our sponsors now accounts for up to 50% of the monies needed to run this historic fair and as the Fair and Festival has no direct source of income from tickets or gate receipts, we are heavily dependent on this sponsorship to meet our costs which have been increasing steadily in recent years." "Once again our main sponsor is our local hotel the Carlton Shearwater Hotel and we are grateful to them for their support of the Fair particularly in these times of economic difficulty. With their support and the support of all our other sponsors, we have been able to plan a jam packed nine day programme of horse and pony competitions, street entertainment, and family events," he said. Martin Daly, general manager of the Carlton Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe said the hotel was delighted to continue as main sponsor of the Ballinasloe October Fair and support the continuation of the historically significant event. "We are absolutely thrilled to be associated once again with the Ballinasloe Horse Fair and Festival. This event is a major boost to the town of Ballinasloe and its hinterland and we in the Carlton Shearwater Hotel are proud of our association with Europe's Oldest Horse Fair," said Martin Daly. "In these difficult economic times, events such as the Ballinasloe Horse Fair are a welcome boost to the local economy and should be supported and developed", he continued. Other major sponsors of this year's October Fair include Ballinasloe Credit Union, Supermacs, Gullane's Hotel, Domac and Premier Proteins, all of whom have consistently supported the Fair over the years. Long-standing sponsors of the Ballinasloe October Fair include AIB and Noel Ryan of Premier Proteins who has sponsored the annual Premier Proteins Open Dog Show for the past four years. Organised by a voluntary committee, Ballinasloe October Fair and Festival also receives funding from Ballinasloe Town Council, Galway County Council, Rapid and Failte Ireland. Highlights of this year's Horse Fair which runs from Saturday, October 1 to Sunday, October 9 include the Ballinasloe Credit Union Horse of the Fair Competition held in the Fair Green on Sunday, October 2. On Monday October 3, the Jim Derwin International Horse Dealer All Ireland Pony of the Fair and the Hayden's Hotel Cob of the Fair competitions take place in the Fair Green. In addition to the activity on the Fair Green on Sunday 2nd and Monday 3rd October, Ballinasloe's main streets will be pedestrianised for a huge outdoor market with everything from a needle to an anchor for sale. Popular non-equine events during the nine day festival include free street entertainment from the Big Generator on Sunday, October 2, the 16th Anniversary of the Domac Tug of War Competition nightly from Tuesday 4th with the grand final on Friday 7th October. Following the finals of the Domac Tug of War Competition, the Ballinasloe night sky will be alight with the Supermacs Monster Fireworks display at Ballinasloe Marina. This fantastic display signals the start of celebrations for the second weekend of the Fair and Festival. The festival winds up on Sunday, October 9, with the Gullanes Hotel Vintage Day and the Premier Proteins Open Dog Show as well as the very popular International market attracting visitors from near and far. The Ballinasloe Horse Fair is worth in the region of €8.5 million to the local economy. For full information on the 2011 Programme of Events please log on to www.ballinasloeoctoberfair.com or follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ballinasloefair