Oul Lammas Fair Ballycastle 2025: Last day of fair suffers rainy blast - but still saw large crowds and plenty of dulse and yellowman sales
The four-day Oul Lammas Fair suffered a rainy note on its last day - but still attracted hundreds of visitors and saw plenty of dulse and yellowman sales.
Ireland’s oldest traditional fair ran in Ballycastle from Saturday 3 August - Tuesday 26th August 2025.
The 400-year-old-fair - which originally formed around horse and livestock trading - is famed for its festive spirit, transforming the picturesque seaside town with hundreds of stalls lining the streets, live music, buskers and entertainment.
Sticking with tradition, the main events were held on Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th.
"I have been to the fair since I was a cub and I am 36 now," said councillor Allister Kyle, who lives in nearby Ballybogey.
"The weather on Monday was very good. The crowd seemed to have a great day and it was a bit hotter than normal.
"And it was also good on Tuesday morning although it turned a bit nasty after lunchtime when the rain came on."
However the streets were still crowded with people, and stalls continued trading until 830pm last night.
"You definitely look forward to it every year," the councillor said.
"As usual we were on the dulse, yellowman and Honeycomb. There were good sales of it going on by the looks of it with plenty of all three shifting."
There were some changes this year, Mr Kyle said, but they did not spoil the enjoyment of the event.
The amusements, which normally take place at the leisure centre, were moved due to ongoing work on a new centre.
And the horses also had to be moved away from the usual spot beside the derelict Antrim Arms Hotel area due to concerns about the stability of the structure, he added.
Instead, the horse market was celebrated at Fairhill Street, as the street transformed into a traditional horse-trading area, with farrier displays, pony rides and an animal petting farm.
Visitors to the four day event enjoyed a heavy horse show and parade, vintage vehicle & tractor run, artisan market with handcrafted goods and unique artworks ando mouth-watering local artisan food.
A major addition this year was the new ‘Street Food Village’ with a host of food producers offering local delicacies and delicious dishes.