Ireland Which Game Fair To Go Too?

[spiderfly 111]

10 of us lads want to book a game fair and we have done birr castle and wanted to know is Shane castle the same thing or bigger? Or which one is the best in the uk ??

Thanks for the help?

[VOON 1,313]

I went to the midland 2 years ago, great for shopping, gundogs, Hawks and things you wouldn't see in Ireland. The terrier and Lurcher section was not so hot though, pushed away into a corner.

 

The Welsh was a great weekend, but it's been 5 or 6 years since I was there.

Edited January 22, 2016 by VOON

[spiderfly 111]

I went to the midland 2 years ago, great for shopping, gundogs, Hawks and things you wouldn't see in Ireland. The terrier and Lurcher section was not so hot though, pushed away into a corner.

 

The Welsh was a great weekend, but it's been 5 or 6 years since I was there.

thanks for your advice have you ever been to Shane castle!

[BlackBuck 655]

Shane's castle is nothing compared to the English fairs mate , been a while since I've been to one but Shane's was always expensive to get into and nothing at it

[AlbertJ 569]

Dates of the Great Game Fairs of Ireland www.greatgamefairsofireland.com As Blackbuck indicates it is some time since he was at Shanes and he erroneously claims it 'was expensive to get into and had nothing there'. It is NOT expensive to get into at £10 with free programme and parking - less than half the price of the UK fairs- and better competitions and prize funds than most of them and with nearly 200 stands something for everyone - video on www.irishgamefair.com. Obviously we cannot compete with the major fairs such as the CLA ( now defunct with three or four vying to replace it) or the Midland but I would say we are right up there with the rest - especially for prize funds and competitions. Both Shanes and Birr are already shaping up to be bigger than 2015 and as a special offer to Hunting Life Forum fans- the first 100 to email me your name and address to irishgamefair@btinternet.com will be sent a voucher for £5 (€5) off the price of admission to Shanes, Birr or Ballynahinch! A great day out for a FIVER!

 

AlbertJ

Edited January 23, 2016 by AlbertJ

[the scudd 81]

stopped going to the irish fairs. better to go to the midland

[AlbertJ 569]

The Scudd,

 

I suppose it depends what you want. I take in the Midland fairly regularly as it has a good range of competitions ( best in the UK); and a good range of stands. It used to be brilliant for bargains and my wife and I used to carry huge amounts of them back to the car although it was a long way back to walk! The bargains usually justified the high admission price and the cost of travel and accommodation. However over the last few years real bargains have been thin on the ground and our purchases have been usually one or two items which meant that the trip had to justify itself on entertainment value. With the growth of Shanes over the last few years and with all stands required to have at least one bargain many people are happy to get their bargains at home.

[BlackBuck 655]

Not hard to know the monies going into your pocket Albert . The reason I haven't been to one for so long is because it was a pile of shite and full of jumped up arseholes like yourself .

[the scudd 81]

The Scudd,

 

I suppose it depends what you want. I take in the Midland fairly regularly as it has a good range of competitions ( best in the UK); and a good range of stands. It used to be brilliant for bargains and my wife and I used to carry huge amounts of them back to the car although it was a long way back to walk! The bargains usually justified the high admission price and the cost of travel and accommodation. However over the last few years real bargains have been thin on the ground and our purchases have been usually one or two items which meant that the trip had to justify itself on entertainment value. With the growth of Shanes over the last few years and with all stands required to have at least one bargain many people are happy to get their bargains at home.

 

i kept going to the fairs here thinking that maybe the next year would be different but nothing changed. its grand for a day out but don,t go expecting great gear at good prices

[AlbertJ 569]

Not hard to know the monies going into your pocket Albert . The reason I haven't been to one for so long is because it was a pile of shite and full of jumped up arseholes like yourself .

 

BB, The CLA closing should have made people like you realise that game fairs are not a licence to print money. With estimated crowds of up to 100,000 , admission prices of £32 and high stand prices they couldn't make it work. The reason why our fairs have lasted for 36 years and are now at fair no 59 is because our team are committed country sports people who think it important that Ireland has its own fairs with first class competitions with unrivalled prize money ( except from the Midland) ; a good range of stands and displays and a good day out for people who want to meet up with their fellow sportsmen and women from all over Ireland, to show their support for country sports and the rural way of life. And this is produced at a very reasonable £10 per head for tens of thousands of satisfied customers. Or with the discount I offered above and which over 40 people have taken up so far only a £5 a head. If our desire to promote and defend countrysports in Ireland by hard work and commitment for very little financial reward makes us assholes in your eyes - so be it. But what does that make you?

Edited January 25, 2016 by AlbertJ

[BlackBuck 655]

So your telling me c**ts like you have the people's best interests at heart , try telling that to someone who's gonna believe you . I wasn't born yesterday nor did I come down with the last rain .

[spiderfly 111]

Thanks lads each to there own , and everyone needs to make money so let the sales pitch keep coming as I'm going to Shane's castle , too expenses for 22 lads to travel to the mid lands !

[AlbertJ 569]

Thanks lads each to there own , and everyone needs to make money so let the sales pitch keep coming as I'm going to Shane's castle , too expenses for 22 lads to travel to the mid lands !

 

So your telling me c**ts like you have the people's best interests at heart , try telling that to someone who's gonna believe you . I wasn't born yesterday nor did I come down with the last rain .

 

BB, What a nice turn of phrase you have! of course our team have been committed to the promotion and defence of country sports in Ireland for over 36 years - the main sporting organisations are fully in support of what we do and value our work and we prefer to think they and the tens of thousands who enjoy our events every year are more representative of Irish, Hunting, Shooting and Fishing enthusiasts than a person with a huge chip on their shoulder who thinks it smart to criticise the commitment and work of others. Perhaps you could share with everyone on the forum what you have done to positively promote and defend countrysports?

Edited January 26, 2016 by AlbertJ

[BlackBuck 655]

The lad asked for an opinion on what show to go to , and I gave my honest opinion on what I thought of Shane's castle , nothing to do with being an ambassador for the sport or anything else . You Albert then come on here spouting a pile of crap about how great you are and how much you do , an obvious attempt at free advertising by the way . Funny if your that great don't see many jumping to your defence or giving you any positive feed back .

[AlbertJ 569]

Blackbuck, At least your post doesn't contain any or much abuse this time - could your propensity to insult anyone who disagrees with you stop people commenting? We don't look for plaudits or statements of support - the huge numbers of people who attend our events and read our magazine are testament to the fact that we have THEIR support. And of course if you want to see messages of support for what we do visit our Facebook page and group.

 

You claim to have given an 'honest' opinion that stated Shanes was expensive to get into - simply NOT true! And as for content you admitted that you hadn't been to the event for some time . Obviously events evolve over time and I think most people would agree that Shanes 2015 was the best Irish Game Fair ever. Your opinion was certainly not an informed one.

 

I did not and never have said 'how great I am' or how much I do for country sports. I have always made it clear that I am part of a very committed team of country sports people who give of their time freely or for nominal expenses to put on the fairs that give so many people much pleasure and are possibly the greatest PR defence for Irish hunting, shooting and fishing. . We also don't make a 'song and dance' about it - perhaps we should - but since the fairs began we have sponsored more events, organisations and clubs than any company or organisation in Ireland. Of course I am rightly PROUD of what WE have done. Now lets hear what you have done to promote and defend country sports in Ireland?