30/12/25 The Luck Penny

Farmers at Rathfriland market in County Down still practise an old tradition when livestock changes hands. Farmers selling their animals hand money back to the buyer, to seal the deal. It's known as the luck penny and is a way of wishing the customer success with the stock and building up a trustworthy business relationship. At the old fairs, a couple of coins would be handed over - today it could be a £20 note. The tradition, said to have originated in Ireland and lives on in modern insurance policies covering livestock after sale. And in Rathfriland, it is celebrated with a sculpture of a giant bronze penny in the town square.

Produced and presented by Kathleen Carragher.