Yesterday should have been one of the busiest days of the year in Ballon. The annual point-to-point races usually bring large crowds to pubs and shops in the small Carlow village.
However, Ballon was deserted. The races were cancelled on Saturday, after news filtered through of a possible foot-and-mouth case at a local meat plant, Ballon Meats.
The cancellation of the races was an uncomfortable reminder of what was to come if the case proved positive. But the people of Ballon woke up to better news yesterday, with preliminary findings indicating negative results.
"It would have been a total catastrophe for Ballon and for the economy as a whole if this was a case of foot-and-mouth," said local beet and tillage farmer, Mr Peadar Jordan.
"The restrictions that would have followed would have put a huge burden on everyone. It would have had a huge financial and social impact."
Mr Jordan said the previous foot-and-mouth scare in 2001 had "left its mark" on everyone and some people were still traumatised by it.
Two gardaí were on around-the-clock duty at Ballon Meats yesterday to stop visitors from approaching the plant.
Neither the farmer nor the factory owner at the centre of the scare were commenting publicly on the case. However, a source close to both parties said it had been very upsetting for the farmer who lives near Ballon.
"He is a small farmer who only sources his feed from the most reputable of sources. There is no way he would have used anything but the best of feed," the source said. He added that the factory owner hoped that both the factory and the farmer would be compensated for what they had been put through in recent days.
One of the main hotels in the area, Ballykealey Manor, would probably have had to close for a while if a case of foot-and-mouth was detected, according to its owner, Mr Ted Egan.
"We are within the five-mile radius, so I'd say we would have had to totally close for two months or more. It would have been devastating." The hotel gets a lot of local business and would have had to cancel four farming-related functions planned for next week if the case had been positive. "You just don't want to think about it until it happens," Mr Egan said.
The foot-and-mouth was the main topic of conversation in Kavanagh's pub on Saturday night, according to Mr Paul Kavanagh. "It's great that there has been a negative result. You are in the middle of a farming area here, mainly dairy and tillage, but it would have affected everyone, not only farmers."
Across the road in Doyle's pub, Joe Doyle said local businesses had already been hit with the cancellation of the point-to-point. "Money-wise, that's a big thing, but they had no option but to cancel it," he said.
Local farmer, Ms Kathleen Fitzgerald, said everyone was breathing a huge sigh of relief yesterday. "Of course the necessary restrictions would have been honoured, but it would have totally hampered the activities of the whole community.
"The positive thing about all this is that it makes people aware that the checks are in place all the time and if there is any possibility of a case, it will be picked up."
In Nolan's shop, Ms Elizabeth Nolan said people were much happier now that the good news came out. "Everyone was worried. My son is only after buying some cattle, so he would have been badly hit," she said. "It was a big concern yesterday, but we are all at our ease again."