Game Fair at Shanes Castle cancelled after Northern Ireland directors announce retirement after 45-years service

Northern Ireland Game Fair directors Albert Titterington and Paul Pringle have announced their retirement after over 45 years…!

Albert from Downpatrick and Paul, a Bangor native, have decided to call it a day due to ‘personal health issues’ – putting an end to all this year’s Irish Game Fair events.

In total the duo have organised 69 game fairs in Northern Ireland and several other award-winning events throughout Ireland since they began in 1979.

Last year the Game Fair Weekend at Shanes Castle, Antrim had to be postponed due to illness across the organising team and unfortunately plans to ensure its future with a leading UK events firm ‘have not come to fruition’.

Now with Albert and Paul, both personally ‘under doctors orders’, plans for all the 2024 Irish Game Fair programme have had to be cancelled.

In a joint statement, Albert and Paul, continued: “Unfortunately plans to ensure its future in 2024 and beyond through an orderly transfer to a leading UK events company have not come to fruition. We appreciate that this will be very disappointing for the 20,000 people who regularly attend the Fair.

"For many it was an annual family pilgrimage, and there have been several thousand competitors who took part in the Game Fair’s international standard competitions, such as gundog handling, terriers & lurchers, flycasting, and clay pigeon shooting.

"It will also be disappointing to the hundreds of regular trade exhibitors who found it an important market place for a wide range of rural products, and the Antrim area will not have the important financial boost which the Fair generated over what became known as ‘Game Fair Weekend.’ We thank all of these people for their loyal support.

”Over the years, we have used the fair to not only be a flagship event for country sports and the rural way of life but also to allow us to voluntarily support many areas of country sports to the tune of no less than £400k through direct sponsorship of clubs and events, and by means of our professionally promoted and subsidised platform for the various sporting organisations.

"However, going forward without the Game Fair, this support will unfortunately cease, and we realise that its loss will be felt by many clubs, event organisers and individuals. We will of course do everything we can to ensure that whoever takes the Fair over recognises the need to support country sports, just as we have done over the years.”

Over the years the duo have also been responsible for promoting traditional Irish country sports in Ireland and throughout the world by publishing Irish Country Sports & Country Life magazine, ‘the voice of Irish hunting, shooting & fishing since 1985.’

They also published a number of books including two books which are widely recognised as being the definitive books on Irish country sports, the Irish Fieldsports & Angling Handbook (1984) and ‘Irish Country Sports – a Heritage’ in 2021.

After taking early retirement from their original careers, Albert, a senior university academic and international marketing consultant and Paul, a senior PR advisor, they brought their expertise and flair to the passionate promotion and defence of local country sports.

They added: “We would like to pay tribute to all of these supporters plus our hosts at Shanes Castle and other venues, as well as the fair event organisers, the many contributors to Irish Country Sports & Country Life magazine, the fair sponsors and of course the current host council, Antrim and Newtownabbey Council.

“We sincerely hope that a new team will come forward to take over the running of this well established event and we stand ready to give them our maximum support and assistance to keep this country sports traditional event alive.

"Whilst we will be retiring from organising and promoting the Game Fair, there is still much to be achieved for traditional country sports through our significant presence on social media and other outlets.”

The Northern Fair was launched at Clandeboye Estate in 1979 after five years it moved to Shanes Castle returning to Co Down at Ballywalter Estate for a couple of years late '90s before returning to Shanes Castle in 2000 where it has been based since. Other fairs have been organised at Montalto Estate,Co Down, Slane Castle, Co Meath, Birr Castle, Co Offaly and Galway Race Course.