This poster for Kayes Brothers Buff Bill's Circus was printed for its 1954 tour with a space left to overprint the venues and dates of its appearances. It proudly notes the international pedigree of its performers and its: 'star studded programme - in its brand new Big Top the first ever toured in Ireland - with the most up to date lighting and seating equipment'. It also urges its patrons to visit the: 'new and updated stables' after the show for an extra admission price, to see: 'the cream of Irish horses, lions, baboons, dogs etc.' The acts listed are Toneska (featuring The Leap of Death); The Circus Belles (dancers); Doug Andel ('Fun on a Bar'); Symphony in Grey ('Equine Presentation'); The Lind Brothers ('screamingly laughable fun makers direct from Belgium); Ethyl Barton 4 ('acrobatic marvels direct from Oslo'); Charkan (Haute Ecole ridden by Johnny Keyes [sic]); Mabel Melrose Sisters ('glamorous equilibrists from Paris'); Carnival of Horses ('Celebrated Mme. Franconi in a Canine Phantasy, Beautiful Extravaganza of Ponies and Dogs'); the clowns Algy, Joey and Atom, and Dash's Chimpanzees ('Famous film and television stars').

The original Buff Bill's Wild West Show was started in the late 19th century by the knife thrower and sharp-shooter William Kayes (1856-1933) who performed a cowboy act with his brother Richard (the Great Ricardo) and went on to develop a travelling circus emulating Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and variously called Buff Bill's Wild West Show in 1898; Buff Bill (Kayes) Menagerie in 1899; Buff Bill's Circus in 1899, and Bill's Menagerie in 1900. The circus was run until the 1950s by William's second wife Elizabeth (1878-1957), lion trainer and mother of their ten children, who took over the show in 1910 when her husband's eyesight was failing. From 1948-1957 James (1918-2004) and Johnny Kayes (1912-1979), two of their sons, ran the Kayes Brothers' Circus, working across England and Ireland. Both were great bareback riders wih a successful jokey act, and Johnny had a lion act. After their show closed Johnny presented dogs, chimpanzees and horses with various circus until the early 1970s, while James moved into the fairground world but returned to the ring in the 1980s as ringmaster for Robert Brothers' circus at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow.