It was an important fair for the British Army to purchase horses for the cavalry regiments.
A campaign against the fair has culminated in the Garda Síochána, and Inspectors from the Department of Agriculture attempting to shut down the fair, on instruction of Offaly County Council headed by local councillors John Leahy and Peter Ormonde.
However, locals held the fair regardless, a much smaller affair on top of the hill.
Fans of the horsefair think that future looks bright for this long old traditional way of life.
Attempts were made to have the horsefair moved from its traditional pitch at Market Square in the town out to the new bypass, but the sheer size of the fair meant that that was not possible to enforce.