Summary: Hiring Fair
Key dates:
Towards the end of the 19th century hiring fairs were held in 80 Irish towns, mostly in Ulster. There were usually 2 fairs each year – one in mid- May and one in mid-November with contracts lasting for 6 months. A large number of these hired workers came from Donegal and this explains why the hiring fairs at Derry, Strabane and Omagh were so important. The photograph shows a large crowd of men and women waiting to be hired at a hiring fair in Ballymoney.
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