In the vast collection of traditional Irish music, there exists a tune called the Ballinasloe Fair which celebrates what was in its heyday one of the most famous horse fairs in Western Europe and which is still regarded as the biggest and most popular fair in modern Ireland. The week-long fair opens on October 3 each year and follows an old recognized pattern of Irish country fairs beginning with animal trading and ending with general fair-going. They seem to have no regard for calendar dates as most of their daily routines and activities throughout the year revolve around the Ballinasloe Fair, demonstrating its general popularity. The open green on the other hand seems to promote the principal life-energy of the fair. On a sloping hillock travellers and barrel-topped wagon owners set up camp where for one whole week the center of the world is Ballinasloe.