A Kerry TD has said the goat involved in the Puck Fair is treated so well he'd be coming forward to be captured if he was one.
Ireland’s longest-running festival kicks off in the town of Killorglin tomorrow.
It sees a goat raised above the town for an hour on the opening night and then returned for a similar period on the closing day of the fair.
Tradition usually saw the animal spend three days and nights in a cage over the town but the rule was changed last year amid animal welfare concerns.
Independent TD for Kerry Michael Healy-Rae told Newstalk Breakfast he'd happily volunteer for the position if he was a goat.
"If I was a goat up above around Ballyclave or Glenbeigh and if I knew there was people out and I knew what was ahead of me, I'd be coming forward from the crowd looking to be captured," he said.
"They're treated so well: their toenails are clipped, they're groomed and when they're released they're in better condition.
"Outside of the goat itself the safety people, the safety marshals, the publicans, the business people - everybody pulls together.
"It's not just the excellent hard-working committee, it's all the business people in the community, it's all the locals working to put on what is an excellent, unique fair".
King Puck during the 2014 Puck Fair in Killorglin, Co Kerry. Picture by: Design Pics Inc / AlamyDeputy Healy-Rae said Puck Fair organisers always work with vets.
"Anybody who knows anything about animals knows that the one way you can judge the welfare of an animal is if they put on weight," he said.
"When a puck goat is captured the very first thing that is done is they're weighed and the vets check them.
"Everything is always done in an excellent fashion.
"When the goats are released they're always in better condition than what they were when they actually were captured."
Deputy Healy-Rae said people won't find a similar event "in any other part of Ireland or indeed any other part of Europe or the world".
Organisers say the welfare of the goat is of "utmost importance to all involved" and there are "strict protocols in place" which are overseen and checked by an independent veterinary surgeon.
The Puck Fair runs from Saturday to Monday.
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