The Herbert Park Exhibition of 1907 Brian Siggins Nonsuch Publishing, 16.99 BETWEEN the months of May and November in 1907, one of the largest industrial and trade fairs ever seen in this country attracted nearly three million visitors to the Dublin suburb of Ballsbridge. Dublin historian and Old Dublin Society member of 40 years' standing, Brian Siggins, has recaptured the essence of 'The Great White Fair' in a masterly and meticulously researched reconstruction of the events of one hundred years ago.

Wonderfully illustrated with postcards and many previously unpublished photographs, the book traces the origins of the great Irish industrial exhibitions and provides a fascinating snapshot of life in Dublin at the turn of the last century.

Following the success of the Cork International Exhibition of 1902-03, the editor of the Daily Independent, William T Dennehy, came up with the idea of holding a similar event in Dublin in order to promote the city's commercial and industrial interests. Another proponent of the exhibition, the controversial owner of the Irish Independent, William Martin Murphy, said later that he was supporting the exhibition in order to correct the erroneous impression that Ireland was not a great place to do business.

Murphy cited the example of British industrialist Arthur Chamberlain who told Murphy that he had been warned against coming to Ireland because "the Irishman could not work, that he was not amenable to discipline, and that he had too many holidays".

A committee was formed in February 1903 and a fund of �150,000 was raised over the following months. It had originally inspected three possible sites for the exhibition in the Phoenix Park but eventually decided to hold it on an area of waste ground at Ballsbridge belonging to the Earl of Pembroke. The site, which is now Herbert Park, contained 52 acres and it was given to Pembroke Urban District Council by the Earl to celebrate his son Lord Herbert's 21st birthday.

The Irish International Exhibition . . . christened 'The Great White Fair' by Bram Stoker, author of Dracula . . . began on 4 May 1907 and ran until 9 November of that year.

During the months leading up to the fair, a virtual city emerged from the wastelands of Ballsbridge housing towering buildings and a dazzling array of exhibitions, sideshows, restaurants, concert rooms and fairground attractions. The buildings were exotic-looking structures constructed from steel frames covered over with plywood and plasterboard and painted white.

The focal point of the exhibition was the Grand Central Palace with its 150ft-high dome.

This giant structure covered nearly three acres and contained 300 tons of steel, 70 tons of galvanized iron and an enormous amount of plate glass. Other major buildings on the site were the Gallery of Fine Arts, Palace of Industries, Great Palace of the Mechanical Arts and the Concert Hall. One of the most popular exhibits was the authentic Somali Village, which contained, along with spearwielding tribesmen, huts, a Somali schoolroom, sheep and goats.

A legendary Dublin character 'The Bird' Flanagan caused a minor stir at the exhibition when he kidnapped one of the Somali children for a bet. The child was returned unharmed.

The exhibition also housed many attractions and amusements including a helter-skelter, Canadian water chute, crystal maze, rifle range, an ant and bee display and Indian Jugglers.

One of the more unusual items in the health section was a baby incubator which featured 'live babies'.

The exhibition itself was a resounding economic success for Dublin resulting in a muchneeded boost for the city. Nearly three million visitors passed through the gates including a large number from Britain and the United States.

After the exhibition had finished, all of the buildings were taken down and sold off to various interests. Herbert Park was eventually thrown open to the public in 1911.

This book is a labour of love that captures this moment in history in remarkable detail. The author's research and depth of knowledge brings each page to life. If you have even a passing interest in Irish history it's something to treasure.