A 20-year-old NUI Galway commerce student was crowned Queen of Ballinasloe Fair at a gala evening at the Carlton Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe, at the weekend.
Sarah Dolan from Newtown, Creagh, Ballinasloe represents Killeen’s Bar and Lounge, Togher, Taughmaconnell. She works part-time at the venue at the weekends.
A keen horsewoman, she is a member of the East Galway Hunt and Pony Club and participated in horse riding competitions from a young age.
Supported by family members and a large contingent of friends, she was a popular choice with both the adjudicators and audience.
Sponsored by the Carlton Shearwater Hotel the selection of the queen began with a champagne reception and drew a capacity audience.
The adjudication process comprised interviews with the three member judging panel including Galway Rose Eimear O’Leary followed by an on stage question and answer session with Galway bay fm’s Ollie Turner.
Fourteen young women representing businesses and organisations in Ballinasloe and the surrounding areas competed for the prestigious title and entertained the audience with anecdotes and party pieces.
Sarah’s prize packages include a cash prize from Ballinasloe October Fair committee, a weekend for two in any Carlton Hotel nationwide, and beauty and pampering vouchers from Ballinasloe’s retailers. She will also represent Ballinasloe in the 2010 finals of the Galway Rose competition in March of next year.
Congratulating Sarah, Brendan Bradley, Ballinasloe October Fair and Festival chairman said the “Queen of the Fair” is an important ambassador for the famous horse fair.
“As queen, Sarah will participate in various events during the nine day fair and festival celebration including the official opening of the fair on Sunday October 4.”
Accepting her tiara, the new Queen of the Fair Sarah Dolan said she was honoured to have been selected and thanked her family and friends for their encouragement.
“I want to especially thank my granddad Pat Joe Dolan for encouraging me to enter. He was always saying that no one in the family had ever entered Queen of the Fair so I decided to enter! I am delighted to have been chosen and am really looking forward to representing Ballinasloe and participating in the various events during fair week.”
Meanwhile with crowds of up to 85,000 people expected to attend the opening of the Ballinasloe Horse Fair at the weekend, traffic diversions will be in place on the N6 from 8am to 8pm on Sunday. This is to ensure the free flow of weekend commuter traffic on the main Galway to Dublin route and facilitate the movement of traffic locally.
Motorists travelling from Galway to Dublin on Sunday are asked by the Gardai to avoid Ballinasloe and instead divert off the N6 at Killmeen Cross on the Ballinasloe side of Loughrea for Tullamore via Portumna (N65 ). Motorists travelling from Dublin to Galway are asked to bypass Ballinasloe and detour at Athlone on the R362 for Tuam via Mountbellew.
Local vehicles arriving into Ballinasloe from the west and not attending the fair will be asked to detour at Loughbawn on the N6 for Dublin via Ahascragh. Local vehicles entering Ballinasloe from the Athlone side will be asked to detour at Creagh Junction via Ahascragh and re-emerge on the N6 at Loughbawn for Galway.
All lorries and articulated vehicles coming from Dublin must detour at Athlone. There are no diversions in place on Saturday or Monday.
Commuters intending to travel by coach to Dublin or Galway on Sunday and Monday should note that the pick up and drop off points for Nestors, Bus Eireann and City Link operated coaches has been moved to Hayden’s Corner for these two days only.
Ballinasloe Gardai are asking all visitors attending the fair over the next two weekends to adhere to all diversions and parking restrictions. They also advise that when parking in a carpark not to leave any property visible inside the vehicle.
Gardaí are also advising people living in the surrounding area of Ballinasloe to be extra vigilant for any suspicious vehicles in the area, not to buy any goods or give cash to traders calling to their doors.
Further information on the traffic diversions is available by logging onto the following websites www.ballinalsoeoctoberfair.com and www.garda.ie
