A patent was granted by King James to the town of Ballinrobe in 1606 to hold markets and fairs. This virtually assured that Ballinrobe would become the biggest town in the area. Monday was the establised market day in Ballinrobe. People came from miles around to go to market. In addition to the Monday market there were special "fairs" to sell cattle, sheep, pigs, etc.

The following pictures and description of market day and fairs are not of the Ballinrobe market and fairs, but they give a idea of what they were like in Ballinrobe.

December 6, 1871

Going to Market- A Sketch in Ireland

No date

Posted 1905

THE BUTTER AND POULTRY MARKET

The Graphic, Dec 13, 1879

Undated

The Fair

"The fair was at its height. The long, ramshackle main street of Crom was crowded with people and with animals. In spite of the crisp wind that blew from the mountains, which rose sheer above the village to the north, there was a foul smell everywhere and the pock-marked roadway was a reeking mass of dung and urine. Although the street was wide, there was hardly room to move. Hucksters had set up their booths on either side of the street, thus congesting the space that was already insufficient. S ome people had even set up shelter on the fair green, mostly beggars and tinkers. Cattle darted into houses. Pigs squealed and fought one another. Jobbers shouted and cursed, brandishing their sticks. Timoney the fiddler was playing nearby. In front of the police barracks, a three-storeyed building, with loopholes like a fortress, a crowd of policemen stood watching the tumult in a hostile manner."

Market Day at Abbeyleix from Sights and Scenes in Ireland, 1908

Fish Market in Galway