Ould Lammas Fair
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The Ould Lammas Fair is a traditional fair held in Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland every year on the last Monday and Tuesday of August. It is associated with the Lammas harvest festival.
The fair has been running for nearly 400 years, dating back to the 17th century.
Various goods are traditionally sold at the fair. These include livestock and traditional foods such as Yellowman, a local variant of honeycomb and 'dulse', a type of edible seaweed.
A ballad written by local shopkeeper and bog-oak carver John Henry MacAuley enhanced the local fame of the fair. MacAuley was also a well known fiddler, but died in 1937 before his song became famous.
On August 28, 2001 an RUC officer discovered a large incendiary blast bomb in the centre of Ballycastle whilst the fair was running. After the area was cleared army bomb disposal experts defused the device. The attempted attack was initially claimed by the Red Hand Defenders. However, the RUC later suggested that it was carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force. [1]
