A little bit of Irish nostalgia and a slice of Irish history feature at Kerry Auction Rooms, Moyderwell, Tralee on July 12 at 2 p.m. Among the 1,000 lots on offer is a watercolour and ink drawing by Gerard Dillon entitled Farmyard Scene. It depicts a setting that half a century ago was commonplace in Ireland and is much more rare now. The work is estimated at 1,800-2,000.
Farmyard Scene by Gerard Dillon. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD.
The Irish War of Independence Medal awarded to Frank Foley. UPDATE: THIS MADE 520
There is an Irish War of Independence medal awarded to Frank Foley of Ballybunion Road, Listowel. He was an employee of the railroad, which was useful for transferring intelligence along the route. The lot, including the original box and a photo of him in his railway uniform, is estimated at 600-800. The sale also includes the programme for a play put on by Irish Volunteer prisoners at Ballykinlar Internment Camp in Co. Down in 1921. There were two performances of The Eloquent Dempsey, a comedy in three acts by William Boyle. Ballykinlar held over 2,000 prisoners, who organised their own theatre companies, classes, societies and craft groups and even issued their own token coinage. The camp was referred to by its inmates as “the university”. The estimate for the programme is 150-250.
The catalogue for the sale is on-line at www.kerryauctionrooms.com