National Country Fair...

stevoman

no i didnt see that one. was that on the left as your looking at the main arena? was in one tent with all the shotguns on display, a very nice set up but it was mobbed! there was another before that, maybe that was you or was it the one im on about

again though i say that the show was a great day out, and the stands were a great effort by everyone involved, i just found that there were too little stands to cater for the amount of people willing to invest in all types of shooting and hunting gear, but again it was the first year and things have to progress.

as regards the gun stands, maybe this is just my opinion, i prefer to look at a gun quitely and be able to have a chat with the slaesperson without having to worry am i takin up to much of that persons time as there were also loads of other people thrying to get there hands on a gun and get to talk to the salesperson too. id say you had a hectic weekend....

Chopperdog 2

Yup, we were ran off our feet.

We did our best to give everyone as much attention as we could.

We were located up beside the clay shooting area, therefore most of the people up that way were actual shooters rather than tyre kickers who are generally looking for a 'double barrel pump action machine gun thingy':rolleyes:

It was a very busy weekend for us and it is a pity that you didnt get up our way as I always like being able to put a face to other posters here.

Was there anyone here speaking with me at the weekend? (Courtlough stand)

stevoman

ah, thats why i didnt get to see you. i was up by the clay pigeon competition so i was on saturday. just walked up, sat down had a bite to eat and and a can of hinekan and watched the action. the only stand i did go to there was the the tent with the gunsafes. sorry i never got to see the stall chopperdog, hopefully i will get to meet you at the next fair.

Hezz700

The courtlough stand was good but far too crowded when i was there. was hoping to put a face on chopperdog. I was taking to 1 of the guys there but never thought to ask him was he C-dog:rolleyes:

alan123

Did anyone actually go to the stand and say "Hi, are you Chopperdog?". Maybe there should be a secret handshake or everyone could wear a flower in their button hole to spot one another!

J.R.

I've been to all the Irish Games fairs, each year, since 1976 - Adare, Emo & Birr. In the past few years they seem (in my opinion) to try to cater for everybody, families, kids, 'tryekickers' etc. There is nothing wrong with that from an economic point of view, for the organisers, andit also lets otheressee what country sports entail, but who want to pay €15 to see stalls selling cheap costume jewellery, furry toys, pellet burners, etc. at a GAME FAIR.

I have no objection to these stalls as not all visitors are country sports enthusiasts and to each their own. What I feel should happen is that all stalls related to shooting / fishing & country sports, in general, should be located along one aisle where the enthusiast can browse among fellow enthusiasts and have a chat, pick up some tips and share stories, experiences, ideas, with like minded people.

By all means have the costume jewellery, furry toys, pellet burners, solar panels etc. in a different aisle where people can browse if they wish - the more stalls the better for the show, in my opinion, to cater for all visitors, but a little more though in organisation, bearing in mind the title of the show, (GAME FAIR) would be more successful.

I'm at a stage now where I have all, or at least most, of the equiment I need (& can carry) but I enjoyed Game Fairs in the past especially if you spotted something new, unusual, diffferent which had come to the market. Game fairs in the past were often a launching pad for new products to test peoples reactions and gain valuable comments & feedback.

In the past Game fairs had many different stalls with various game calls, pigeon magnets, new decoys, hides, guns, optics, shooting gear, etc. but in recent years there numbers seem to have decreased. If you count the number of gun / fishing shops in Ireland and then count how many had a stand at Birr it tells something.

Also, in years past, there were many demonstrations - fly casting, demonstrators & experts demonstrating their skills and passing on good, sound advice.

I fear, and Chopperdog will be more qualified to comment on this point than me, ( BTW Courtlough had a great stand - even though very crowded, but that's a good sign) that maybe attended the show may have got too expensive for many stall holders - cost of space, staff wages, security around gun storage, accomodation, travel, someone to hold fort at home, etc. ....maybe I'm wrong.

I've started a new thread asking members what they would like to see at the next Game fair......should be interesting.