A tale of two Hollywoods and a Vintage Fair

This is probably one of the iconic images conjured up by many people if you were to ask them to think original Hollywood. 

But actually the ORIGINAL Hollywood is not to be found on the warm west coast of the United States of America, where the sun shines all year round, palm trees sway in the breeze, and a large percentage of homes have a swimming pool. 

No, the original Hollywood is to be found in a much cooler, drizzlier and more rural part of the world entirely. 

Although it does bear some striking similarities, the American Hollywood was named by an Irish immigrant named Matthew Guirke. He named the suburb of Los Angeles after his native homeplace Hollywood Co.Wicklow

 Up until his passing in 2003 Matthew Guirks' great grand nephew Jim Guirke(not pictured) ran the post office and shop in Hollywood village.

this same village shop and sub-Post Office for over 60 years until his death in 2003. 

The tradition of a Hollywood Fair was resurrected last year and this year saw the second pre-1950's fair swing into action on the weekend of the 18th August. 

Loads of people make the effort to get dressed up.

The village takes on a real old fashioned fair feeling, the whole village is strewn with straw.

Open air cauldrons of delicious colcannon (mashed potato and kale or cabbage) which was served with sausages for a traditional meal.

There were butter churning and wool spinning demonstrations.

You could buy the freshly churned butter parceled up in little packages of greaseproof paper.

And everything from fancy walking sticks,

to the sweetest little piglets were for sale.

The King of the Fair

We only made it to the daytime events but I believe the music and dancing at the crossroads in the evening and well into the night was something not to be missed again.

 I heard the craic was mighty.