Ould Lammas Fair

55°12′04″N 6°15′07″W / 55.201°N 6.252°W / 55.201; -6.252

The Ould Lammas Fair is a traditional fair held in Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, every year on the last Monday and Tuesday of August. It is associated with the Lammas harvest festival.

The fair has been running for nearly 400 years, with records dating back to the 17th century but having origins possibly much older. Traditionally most of the crowds attending the fair would have been traders from throughout Ireland and from Kintyre, Islay, Jura and elsewhere along the Scottish coast. It is widely considered to be the oldest fair in Ireland.

Various goods are traditionally sold at the fair. These include livestock and traditional foods such as yellowman, which is a local variant of honeycomb, and dulse, which is a type of edible seaweed.

A ballad, The Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle O, was written by local shopkeeper and bog oak carver John Henry MacAuley and enhanced the local fame of the fair.^[1] MacAuley was also a well known fiddler, but died in 1937 before his song became famous.