Puck Fair, taking place this weekend in the middle of Kerry and dating back to prehistoric times, is an annual fair which involves the coronation of a captured wild mountain goat followed by Irish music and heavy drinking all weekend.
The Irish Times has more about the capture of the puck (i.e. wild mountain goat):
Ferocious midges, bad weather and wilier goats this year meant more time than usual had to be spent bringing down the puck.
Midges were a formidable problem. According to Francis Joy, son of the goat catcher, one member of the team who is a native of North Kerry received a savage biting from the pests. "Perhaps they noticed the foreign flesh on the hillside," he said
....
Local girl Aoife Johnston (12) will crown the puck on Sunday after a coronation parade led by the goat through the town on the banks of the river Laune.
He will reign for three days and three nights, during which time the pubs will be open until 3am.
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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0806/1217923980445.html
Bernd Biege at About.com mentions that "Puck Fair is one of the few Irish festivals that refuses to cater for tourism or the modern world in general. The fair is held on the same days every year, regardless of weekends." I think they run it on Kerry Time.
[ Don't worry, they return the goat to the mountains after Puck Fair is over. And no, I won't be there unfortunately. I would settle even for the Puck Fair pub off Houston Street in New York City, but sadly I won't be there either. ]
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