Courtesy of Michael Ingoldsby and Malahide Historical Society

Thanks to Malahide native Michael Ingoldsby who grew up in a house facing the Green, we have a vivid account of when the circuses came to the Green in Malahide, as they did several times each summer up to the early 1980s.

“The visit of the circus was heralded by the arrival of the advance agent’s caravan drawn by three horses in a row. The advance agent visited all the shops in the town and soon coloured posters hung in every shop window announcing the visit of the circus in seven day’s time and promising that we would see the most amazing feats performed by some exotically named man or woman who was the only person in the world to perform such a feat. We children counted the days until the circus would arrive.

Then at long last the great day arrived. Even though it was early there were children on The Green patiently waiting to get the first glimpse of the cavalcade as it turned the corner and came down New St. Other children who wanted to be the first to see it waited on the Railway Bridge. Then we heard the noise of horses’ hooves in the distance and gradually it got louder until the first horse-drawn wagon turned down New St. to be followed by what seemed an unending line of horse-drawn caravans. And then the lorries pulling equipment and heavier caravans followed. One by one they went up onto The Green and found their place. Soon some 50 to 60 horses brown/white, black/white were grazing contentedly. We watched the feverish activity as the Big Top was raised. If the tide was full in the horses were frequently driven into the sea for a wash.

The pump on The Green worked overtime as buckets of water were filled and carried by eager children hoping for a free pass. We went to the matinee as our mother deemed the night show to be too late for us. That night my brother and myself stayed by the bedroom window straining to hear the band and to make out what was happening in the dark on The Green. Invariably sleep overcame us and we were lifted into bed by my father. When we awoke the following morning the circus had gone and what a feeling of loss seemed to pervade the place”.

We are grateful to Michael for sharing his memories with us and for sending us his nostalgic photographs of the scene as it was in the 50s and 60s..