A rare gold and platinum bow design brooch set with 11 Colombian emerald cabochons of varying size, an estate cabinet from Clonmeen House in Banteer and a re-discovered Roderic O’Conor painting exhibited at the Salon des Independents in Paris in 1904 are among the delights at Fonsie Mealy’s Chatsworth summer fine art sale in Castlecomer on April 29, 30 and May 1.
More than 1,300 lots will come under the hammer, including contents from Clonbrock House, Galway, items once at Castletown and objects from other stately homes in Ireland. There is Georgian and Regency furniture from a commission by Gillows in London for Lord Clonbrock, luxury fashion and jewellery, Irish and international art and a variety of collectibles. An estate cabinet from Clonmeen with numerous pigeon holes was in the collection of Major Stephen Grehan (1895-1972). He fought at the Western Front and at Salonica during World War I and later in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). The sale feature more than 450 furniture lots including Gillows furniture from Clonbrock and Castletown. An early rosewood sofa table by Gillows of London and Lancaster dates to around 1801 – the time of the Clonbrock commission – and is estimated at just €1,000-€1,500.
Lot 249 is an Irish 19th century gold cased pocket watch by John Donegan, Dublin and the sale offers a collection of Irish silverware. The auction is on view in Castlecomer from 1.30 pm to 5 pm on April 26 and from 10.30 am to 5 pm on April 27 and 28. The catalogue is online.
An Irish George III estate cabinet from Clonmeen House, Banteer
A pair of George III commodes in the manner of William Moore
From old vellum manuscripts forging the politics of a decade that shaped modern Europe to William Moore style commodes, a landmark achievement in aviation and banshee shrieks that foretold the sudden death of Lord Rossmore in 1801 the breadth of Adam’s Country House Collections sale at Howth Castle next week is astonishing. Every auction tells a story. This one is more storied than most.
Adam’s md Stuart Cole is usually drawn to a fine piece of Georgian furniture or a compelling portrait. This time he was stopped in his tracks by three vellum books. Lot 522 (€7,000-€10,000) comprises the working field books of two successive English envoys of King William III. Operating in northern Germany and the Baltic – one of the most consequential diplomatic postings in late 17th century Europe – they are extraordinary for the density of historic material. According to Cole every name – Nottingham, Marlborough, Rooke, Fagen – is a thread that pulls you deeper into the politics of a decade that shaped modern Europe. “That they have survived at all is remarkable. That they have surfaced here at Howth Castle makes this for me one of the most quietly thrilling lots in the entire auction” he said.
17th/18th century vellum record books from an era that forged modern Europe
No documented furniture by William Moore survives but a small group is attributed to the famous Dublin maker on the basis of a commode made in 1782 for the third Duke of Portland, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. There is an irovy plaque with Moore’s name. Similar pieces are held in museums like the Victoria and Albert in London and the Metropolitan in New York. Lot 463 at Howth is a pair of shaped hardwood and inlaid commodes in the manner of William Moore by descent from the collection of Colonel Edge of Marlay Grange, Rathfarnham and estimated at €15,000-€20,000.
Henry Robert Westenra, third Baron Rossmore, was a notable patron of Dublin artist William Brocas.He commissioned Brocas to paint a series of the Rossmore estate on the outskirts of Monaghan along with family portraits. A portrait by Brocas of Henry’s first wife Anne Douglas-Hamilton, illegitimate daughter of Douglas Hamilton, 8th Duke of Hamilton, was described by Anne Crookeshank and the Knight of Glin as the most distinguished example of his work in this genre. Lot 542 is estimated at €10,000-€15,000. The title of Baron Rosssmore of Monaghan was created in 1796 for General Robert Cuninghame who had fought at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. His passing in 1801 is renowned in Irish folklore as guests including Sir Jonah Barrington heard banshee shrieks shouting Rossmore, Rossmore just before his sudden death.
William Brocas RHA (c1794-1868) – Portrait of Anne Douglas-Hamilton.
The first non stop east west crossing of the Atlantic was completed in April 1928 aboard the Junkers W33 Bremen by an Irish German crew. It left from Baldonnel and battled strong headwinds in a 3,200 mile flight that lasted 36 hours. The crew was celebrated worldwide. They received a ticker tape parade in New York and became the first non Americans to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, presented by President Calvin Coolidge. Lot 664 is an inscribed Irish brass hilted officers sword presented to co-pilot Major James Fitzmaurice who became commanding officer of the Irish Air Corps at Baldonnel. The estimate is €3,000-€5,000.
Adam’s auction will be online only on May 27 and live and online at Adam’s St. Stephen’s Green on May 28. It is on view at Howth Castle from 11 am to 5 pm on today, tomorrow and Monday. The catalogue is online.
The sword presented to Major James Fitzmaurice, co-pilot of the Junkers W33 Bremen which made the first east-west trans Atlantic Crossing in 1928.
The Ocean Dream, a triangular cut fancy vivid blue-green diamond of 5.50 carats
The Ocean Dream, the largest fancy vivid blue-green diamond known to exist, will come up at Christie’s magnificent jewels sale in Geneva on May 13. Weighing 5.50 carats it is fashioned in a striking triangular shape extracted from a rough found in Central Africa in the 1990’s that weighed 11.70 carats. A stone of this colour and size is extremely scarce. The diamond is type Ia, amongst the purest of natural gems. The estimate is CHF7,000,000 to 10,000,000.
This oil on canvas by Tim Goulding, whose paintings are inspired by nature, is lot 12 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current off the wall online art auction which runs until April 27. For many years the artist, who is based in west Cork, has worked on series, often lasting for three or four years. This work from his mountain fire series is estimated at €600-€900.
A RUGBY BALL FROM THE 1981 APARTHEID TOUR SIGNED BY THE IRISH AND SOUTH AFRICAN SQUADS
Lot 358 at Mullen’s timed online Collector’s Cabinet sale which runs to the evening of April 27 recalls memories of the highly controversial Ireland rugby tour to South Africa in 1981. The IRFU defied a worldwide sporting boycott on South Africa and sanctioned the tour, despite condemnation from the anti-apartheid movement and across the political spectrum in Ireland and Britain. The apartheid tour was condemned by the Irish public and is seen as a low point in Irish rugby. The Irish team played seven matches and won three. Donal Spring, Hugo MacNeill, Tony Ward and Moss Keane refused to travel. In the first test the South African player Erroll George Tobias became the first coloured player to appear in an international for the Republic of South Africa. The rugby ball is estimated at €400-€600.
Roderic O’Conor (1860-1940) – Chrysanthemums and Christmas Roses, 1897
This oil on canvas by Roderic O’Conor is, at €80,000-€100,000, the most expensively estimated lot at Fonsie Mealy’s Chatsworth summer fine art sale in Castlecomer on April 29 and 30 and May 1. It has re-emerged on the market after many decades in a private collection. Painted in 1897 Chyrsanthemums and Christmas Roses was shown in Paris in 1904 in the Salon des Independents. More than 1,300 lots will come under the hammer at three days of sales. The catalogue is online and viewing gets underway in Castlecomer on Apirl 26.
Conor Horgan EDGE 53, 2024, from the series EDGE, courtesy of the artist and Photo Museum Ireland
The top prize of €10,000 of the inaugural Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Prize has been awarded to Conor Horgan for his work from the series EDGE. Addressing the emergence of barriers along Dublin’s Grand Canal and nearby areas in an attempt to deter homeless people seeking asylum from sleeping there, Horgan’s image focuses not on individuals but on the structures themselves. It invites viewers to consider the experiences of these men who after they arrived, were met with the opposite of what they most needed – protection.
Two Judges’ Selection Awards of €2,500 each were presented to Laura Dunwoody and Salem Anowe Chukwuezi for distinct and powerful perspectives on contemporary Ireland. Dunwoody’s series Nothing Lasts Forever offers an intimate and long-term portrait of youth and community in Ballymun, while Chukwuezi’s Covert showcases the reality for Black men in Ireland, making visible what often goes unseen. The Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Bursaryof €10,000, which recognises an emerging artist whose practice shows exceptional promise, was awarded to Patryk Gizicki. His work explores youth culture and evolving ideas of identity and masculinity, offering a nuanced and personal perspective shaped by his Polish heritage and Irish upbringing.
Presented in partnership with Taylor Wessing and Photo Museum Ireland and facilitated by Business to Arts, the prize establishes a national platform for photography, offering unprecedented visibility and support for artists at all stages of their careers. As the largest combined prize fund for contemporary photography in Ireland, the initiative marks a significant investment in the country’s cultural life. The Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Prize exhibition is at Photo Museum Ireland, Dublin from April 22 to May 24.
HERMES KELLY II RETOURNE 25. UPDATE: THIS MADE €22,000 at hammer
This Hermes Kelly handbag, in the Retourne style, in Black Cheri calfskin leather with gold hardware is lot 20 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s auction of fine jewellery and watches, which runs until the evening of April 22. From the 2025 collection it is new and unworn and estimated at €10,000-€15,000. There are 157 lots on the catalogue for this online auction. The most expensively estimated – at €40,000-€60,000 – is a pair of Art Deco ruby and diamond ear pendants set with six cabochon rubies weighing approximately 17 carats.
RUBY AND DIAMOND EAR PENDANTS. UPDATE: THESE MADE €38,000 at hammer
A pair of Irish George II console tables from Adams Country House Collections at Howth Castle sale.
A pair of Irish George II giltwood console tables will lead the annual Country House Collections sale at Howth Castle by Adam’s on April 27 and 28. Complete with later associated marble tops they are estimated at €60,000-€80,000. Adams say these giltwood console tables represent some of the very finest of their type to come to market in recent years. The later associated brêche violette marble tops are a striking complement to the dramatic giltwood and gesso frame beneath and further highlight the distinctive Roman style adopted by many Irish furniture makers of the mid-18th century.
The sale will be on view at Howth Castle for three days from next Saturday (April 25). Day one on April 27 is an online only sale with 381 lots. There will be a live auction at St. Stephen’s Green on April 28 from 11 am.
A collection of Cork silhouettes by Stephen O’Driscoll at Lynes and Lynes.
A feast of rare and tempting collectibles from old Cork silhouettes and magic lantern slides at Lynes and Lynes to an 1850’s governess cart and a collection of over 5,000 vinyl records at Aidan Foley awaits auction goers and online acquirers this week.
From gracious bedroom contents at five star Mount Juliet to the hallowed halls of a bishop’s palace there is a long and seductive list of available lots.
In their first auction of 2026 at Carrigtwohill on April 25 Lynes and Lynes will offer part two of the contents from the estate of the late Tom and Kay Burke of Cork, items from the collection of newly retired Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross Paul Colton and a pair of portraits by renowned Polish artist, writer, philosopher and theorist Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz Witkacy, a political commissar in St. Petersburg in 1916 during the Russian Revolution.
At online auctions on April 20, 21 and 22 at 6 pm Aidan Foley of Doneraile will offer contents from 30 bedrooms at Mount Juliet including quality satinwood bedroom suites along with contents from The Brogue Inn, Killimer and from an old record shop. The auction is on view this weekend at the old Cleeves toffee factory off the Dock Road in Limerick.
A c1930 French Art Deco tea and coffee service at Lynes and Lynes.
It is unusual to find a collection of 12 Cork silhouettes by Stephen O’Driscoll (c1825-1895) in one auction. The Cork lithographer produced portraits of prominent citizens, street characters and beggars, often touched up with gold or paint, and they are always sought after. Estimated at €2,500-€3,500 these ones carry titles like: The Mayoralty 1885, Cork Union Workhouse, Waiting for the boat, The Royal Visit to Cork and “stand back my Lord and let the coffin pass”.
The most expensive lots at Lynes are the Polish portraits, each estimated at €15,000-€20,000, a high silver content Art Deco French tea and coffee service (€5,000-€6,000) and an early Irish Georgian bureau bookcase (€3,000-€5,000).
Among more than 400 lots are a large collection of hand painted magic lantern slides and machine (€300-€500), a one armed bandit in working order (€100-€200), a gold mesh bracelet (€3,000-€4,000), an old advertising sign for P Gallwey, Wine and Spirit Merchants, Cork (€40-€60), a Kentucky Derby amusement arcade horse racing game (€200-€400), a Regency wine table (€200-€300) and a 1904 gold sovereign (€400-€600).
Viewing for this highly varied and interesting sale is now underway and continues from 10 am to 5 pm daily until next Friday.
Original Pogues ten days of Christmas tour posters from the Savoy in Limerick at Aidan Foley’s sale. UPDATE: THIS MADE 180 AT HAMMER
Aidan Foley has previously sold contents from Ashford Castle, Adare Manor and Cashel Palace and even though old style bedroom furniture is out of fashion he anticipates considerable interest in this sale. The bedrooms at Mount Juliet yielded plenty to interest latter day collectors. There are 30 pairs of lined curtains which have been professionally packed and are in excellent condition, modern four poster beds, Victorian wardrobes, Victorian and Georgian chests of drawers, dressing tables, a good Georgian sideboard and artwork including two original 19th century equestrian paintings.
There will be demand from France and Germany for music posters from the Brogue Inn featuring Thin Lizzy, U2 and The Pogues among others. The collection includes Guinness mirrors, catering equipment, restaurant furniture and a variety of pub collectibles. The auction also offers a collection of more than 5,000 vinyl records from the 1970’s and ’80’s from an old record shop. Many of these are in mint condition and unused.
A Victorian horse drawn governess card at Aidan Foley’s sale. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,200 AT HAMMER
