‘Oh Donnybrook, jewel full of mirth’

TIME LINE

A “DONNYBROOK” is sometimes used to describe a general melee or row particularly in “stage oirish” situations. The scenario seems to be that we all go around wearing funny hats and red beards shouting “Shure” and “Begorrah” while we beat one another with small blackthorn sticks.

The name derives from the annual fair which was held in Donnybrook for over 600 years. It bears little relation to the modern suburb of that name where, nowadays, the most violent altercations may be rugby scrums. Indeed, the original Fair Green is now Bective Rangers Rugby Grounds.
Donnybrook was a small country village outside the city of Dublin. In 1204, it was granted a charter to hold an annual fair by King John. Henry III changed the date of the fair from May to July and subsequently Edward I transferred it to August when it ran for 15 days. The location was ideal – it was outside the city walls and thus was suitable for both city and country and it was an ancient monastic site. For centuries, Donnybrook Fair, which usually lasted two weeks, was a time for recreation and amusement for the people of the city and a time of trade for others.
The Normans started fairs as a means of stimulating trade and business in areas under their control. The word “fair” itself comes from the Latin Feria, meaning Holy Day and the Church organised it as an important source of revenue. These fairs could only be held under a licence or charter. The body that granted the charter was entitled to collect tolls from those selling goods at the fair. To this day, tolls have to be paid at fairs such as Spancilhill and, up to 50 or 60 years ago, when every village and town held their monthly fairs, there was always somebody entitled to collect tolls for each animal sold.
By the late 1700s, however, the importance of trade had almost disappeared from Donnybrook.
The two weeks became a time of merriment, games, drinking and debauchery. Local people objected strongly to the goings on and a committee was formed to stop the fair. In their circular seeking support they said, “Deluded by the specious show of recreation and amusement multitudes were caught and allured to vice. Servants, mechanics, tradesmen, and even clerks and shopmen in respectable employment were led into courses which entailed loss of situation, forfeiture of character and consequent misery to themselves and to their families.” Previous efforts had only succeeded in having it halted on Sundays.
The right to hold the fair had descended from the original charter and in the 1850s, theright to collect tolls was held by Joseph and Peter Madden. While the people with the rights to the tolls were prepared to continue, then the fair could continue. The locals persuaded the Madden brothers to sell their rights and the agreed price was £3,000. This was collected and paid to the brothers in 1855, thus ensuring there would be no fair that year. Apart from a few isolated attempts by different individuals to continue, that put an end to Donnybrook Fair.
The last Donnybrook Fair was held the previous year in 1854 and it started on August 21, 156 years ago this week.