No high-rise perch for King Puck on Scattering Day
Leila Mulvihill, Queen of Puck Fair, crowns King Puck at Puck Fair, Killorglin, Co Kerry, on Thursday.
This year’s King Puck will now not be elevated 50ft into the air for Saturday’s last day of ceremonies as had been planned, the organisers have confirmed.
In response to questions from the , they have also confirmed that before being put in his cage for this year’s Puck Fair in the mid-Kerry town of Killorglin, the goat was introduced to human contact and “ambient sounds”.
The best-known feature and tradition of the fair is the annual crowning of the goat as “King Puck”.
But instead of spending three days in the cage, as was traditional for around 400 years up until last year, it was announced last month that this year’s goat would only spend around an hour in his high-rise cage for Thursday’s opening night after his “coronation”.
After going up around 5.35pm, and posing for pictures with Puck Queen Leila Mulvihill, he was taken down at 6.45pm.
He was due to return to his high-rise regal perch for Saturday's Scattering Day, which is the end of the fair, but this will now not happen.
Organisers have declined to comment on whether this year’s change in tradition is the beginning of the end of the centuries-old tradition of hoisting a goat 50ft into the air.
A spokesperson told the : “The welfare of the goat has always been of paramount importance to Puck Fair.
“This year, the voluntary Puck Fair Committee decided that the role of the goat should evolve.
“The goat was raised for a short period following his crowning before being removed from his elevated stand.
“He will make his final appearance of the year at a short dethroning ceremony on the final day of Puck Fair — the goat will not be raised in the elevated stand on the final day.
“This change to a tradition going back hundreds of years was taken in consultation with the Kerry County Council veterinary department, a local veterinary surgeon and other stakeholders.”
They added: “In keeping with other years, the goat receives daily veterinary checks and has access to fresh clean water daily and feeding at all times.
“In advance of Puck Fair, the goat was introduced to human contact and some ambient sounds.”
Concerns about the goat’s welfare became a big issue last year when the fair, which dates to the early 1600s, was held during a heatwave.
It was so hot at various points that last year’s goat had to be taken down from the cage and cooled down.
