extract from comments on The Hiring Fair at Hamiltonsbawn (lyrics in DT) in Robin Morton, Folksongs Sung in Ulster. Cork: Mercier, 1970
"Hiring fairs were in full swing up to fifty [now 80] years ago and the one at the bawn is remembered as recently as forty years ago [1930]. Every town had a fair, as much a social as a commercial nexus. Not every fair, however, was used as a 'hiring fair' and those that were had the labour-hiring aspect superimposed on them once in six months. May and November seem to have been themonths favoured for 'hiring'; no doubt becuase May marked the beginning of the harvest season and November heralded preparation of the ground and planting.

"One man explained ot me that 'in them days there were no tractors, no balers, no hay cutters, only the scythe and a man's hands - it was all hand labour. If you were a workman's son, or belonged to a family that was brought up, or maybe you hadn't ever a farm, you went to the fair and if you were lucky, a man would come up and ask you 'are you hiring?' - you made your deal with him. He gave you a few shillings and you gave him your belongings - you were hired.'

... ...

"A man, who had never any need to hire himself, and thus had no axe to grind, told me of a scene he remembered forty years ago. 'I seen me in Monaghan town, there was a fella with a wee butt of a coat on him and he was hiringthis good likely-looking man for six pounds a month!- and you could buy heifirs for seven and eight pounds apiece; a man was cheaper than a cow!' I pointed out that the man would have received his 'keep' as well as the £6, to which he acidly replied - 'Aye, well he might give you something to eat - you got licking the plates or something; not too much. It wouldn't bust you anyway.' "