31/07/2009
A County Antrim goat will be crowned king of an Irish festival, despite concerns that paperwork problems could prevent the coronation.
Billy was caught in County Antrim to be the first non-Kerry goat crowned in Killorglin as part of the Puck Festival in August.
Fair organisers had expressed concern that animal welfare controls would mean that he may not make the festival in time.
Puck Fair Chairman Declan Mangan told the Irish Times that a four-day passport had been obtained, but that this would not give them enough time to bring down the woolly monarch.
The goat was captured in Ballycastle as part of the three fair's anniversary, marking 30 years of Ireland's oldest three fairs - Puck in Kerry, Lamas in Ballycastle and the Great October Horse Fair in Galway - working together.
"Now Ballycastle is 365 miles from Killorglin and a goat can only travel eight hours at a time without being fed, rested and watered and obviously we treat all our kings like royalty so that just doesn't give him enough time to have reign in Killorglin for the three-day festival," he said.
Mr Mangan said that it normally takes up to six weeks to capture one in the Macgillycuddy Reeks mountain range, so having to revert to a local goat would be a tall order for the master goat-catcher Frank Joy.
Ballycastle councillor Seamus Blaney helped organise the capture of Billy and said that the goat would make it down in time.
"It was my error I applied for the wrong papers and because of the 12th holiday I couldn't put in new applications," he said.
"I have applied for the correct ones now and they will be through soon. He'll make it down to Killorglin in time."
The Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday that it had not yet received a new application form for an Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate for the goat.
"Once a new application has been received the local office will consider if the goat can comply with the intra trade health rules and if so an ITAHC will be issued, this will be done in time for the show," a spokeswoman said.
"However, where the goat cannot comply with the rules it will not be eligible for export. The exporter will be advised of this."
They said such applications were normally dealt with in three working days, but that "urgent exports have been facilitated in shorter time-frames".
Puck Fair is expected to attract up to 100,000 visitors over 10 to 12 August.
The fair has been going for 400 years.
There are a number of stories regarding the origin of the tradition of crowing a goat, the most common is that a wild goat spooked by approaching soldiers of Oliver Cromwell alerted the town to their danger.
