Hugh Douglas Hamilton RHA (1739-1808) – Portrait of “Colonel Hugh O’Donel (1760-1799) sold for €77,000 at hammer.
This portrait of Colonel Hugh O’Donel by Hugh Douglas Hamilton was the top lot at Fonsie Mealy’s sale of contents from Newport House, Co. Mayo. It made a hammer price of €77,000. The post is derived from the Apollo Belvedere at the Vatican. In 1793 with the threat of a French invasion, O’Donel raised a company of troops and became Lieutenant Colonel of the South Mayo Militia. Two years later in 1795 he was elected to the Irish House of Commons representing Donegal town. Along with his brother, Captain James Moore O’Donel (also elected to Parliament in 1795) he joined the parliamentary faction who strenuously opposed the proposed Act of Union with Great Britain-saying he would never surrender Ireland’s legislative independence. For his passionate opposition, and the Militia, to the Act of Union he was dismissed by the government from his colonelcy in 1799. The Lord Lieutenant, Lord Cornwallis, who suppressed the Rebellion of 1798, had offered him a peerage to vote for the Union but he refused. Hugh O’Donel died M.P., in Tralee, Co. Kerry in 1799.
Among the other top hammer prices a Georgian gilt rococo mirror made €50,000; a set of Giant Irish Elk antlers made €46,000; Waiting for the Steamer, Aran Islands by Sean Keating made €40,000; a Georgian dining table made €9,500; a portrait by Hugh Douglas Hamilton of Captain Henry Charles Sirr made €9,500 and a Regency chandelier made €5,200.
John Astley c. 1756 (1724 – 1787) – Portrait of Thomas Pepper, of Ballygarth Co. Louth (1733-1790)
This portrait by John Astley of Thomas Pepper of Co. Louth made a hammer price of €11,000 at the opening day of Fonsie Mealy’s two day auction of contents from Newport House in Co. Mayo. It had been estimated at €3,000-€5,000. A pair of 19th century Meissen vases estimated at €4,000-€6,000 made €9,500 at hammer and a 1911-1915 bracelet set with 19 half sovereigns made €8,500. The 19th century Irish School Hillsborough family portraits made €7,000 at hammer as did Marnock’s Strand by Nathaniel Hone, a portrait of Thomas, Earle of Leghorn attributed to Pompeo Batoni and a Kilkee coastal scene by Nathaniel Hone. The auction continues at The Grace Hotel Westport and online today.
Sir William Orpen – Portrait of James Hugh Smith-Barry. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
An Orpen Smith-Barry portrait, Giant Irish Elk antlers, an Irish 18th century mahogany side table, a pair of large Meissen vases, Tribal art and a fine set of 19th century ornithology studies are among the delights at Fonsie Mealy’s two day sale of contents from Newport House in Co. Mayo next on October 20-21.
From four poster beds to Russian icons to Nubian torchéres and an August Edouart silhouette portrait of Daniel O’Connell the auction of 890 lots is full of variety and interest. What else can be expected, given that this fine mansion overlooking Clew Bay functioned both as a fishing lodge and an Irish country house hotel over many years. There is every opportunity to see for yourself as viewing at Newport House opens from noon to 5 pm today and tomorrow and from 10 am to 5 pm on Monday.
A pair of 19th century Venetian carved Nubian torchéres. UPDATE: THESE MADE 3,200 AT HAMMER
The live and online auction takes place at The Grace Hotel, Westport at 10.30 am on the following two days. The leading lot is a full length portrait of Colonel Hugh O’Donel MP (1760-1799) with family connections to Red Hugh O’Donnell (1572-1602) by Hugh Douglas Hamilton (€80,000-€100,000).
The Orpen portrait of James Hugh Smith-Barry of Fota (1816-1856) was painted posthumously though you would never guess. Based on a sketch by James Rannie Swinton made in 1854 it was commissioned by his son Arthur Hugh Smith-Barry (1843-1925) – created Baron Barrymore in 1902 – for Fota House. Barrymore paid Orpen £84 and ten shillings for a portrait now estimated at €15,000-€20,000.
There is a similar estimate on an impressive set of Giant Irish Elk antlers with 20 points and skull once at Powerscourt.
Waiting for the Steamer, Aran Islands, a c1950 oil on canvas by Sean Keating (€30,000-€50,000) is one of a number of West of Ireland themed paintings including a Coastal Scene of Kilkee, Co. Clare by Nathaniel Hone (€6,000-€8,000), Slievemore Mountain, Achill Island by Harry Epworth Allen (€3,000-€4,000), Cloudland, Connemara by Maurice MacGonigal (€2,000-€3,000) and Near Maam Cross, a watercolour by Peter Knuttel (€120-€140). Inevitably there are some specimen pike, salmon and trout mounted in showcases.
A Georgian gilt rococo mirror. UPDATE: THIS MADE 50,000 AT HAMMER
A fine Georgian gilt rococo mirror after a design by Thomas Johnson, whose mirrors always told stories to children in the 18th century, is estimated at €20,000-€30,000. A Georgian dining table (€8,000-€10,000) and an Irish 18th century side table (€4,000-€6,000) lead a selection of furniture with reasonable estimates.
Among the leading statement pieces are a pair of 19th century Venetian carved and parcel gilt Nubian torchéres (€4,000-€6,000) and a pair of 19th century Meissen Schneeballen vases and covers with birds (€4,000-€6,000). Tribal art includes a Zulu headrest, a Papua New Guinea cult figure, a Maori bust and an 18th century gavel with a grotesque mask handle used in Dublin’s Hellfire Club.
For the ease of viewers the catalogue is divided into sections in various categories such as silver and plate, jewellery and timepieces, objets d’art and miniatures, religious artefacts, oriental art, library, bar and outdoor effects and individual rooms like the dining room, study, stairwell, reception and the downstairs drawing room.
An Irish 18th century mahogany side table. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,500 AT HAMMER
Portrait of Col Hugh O’Donel by Hugh Douglas Hamilton. UPDATE: THIS MADE 77,000 AT HAMMER
A full length portrait of ‘Colonel Hugh O’Donel’ MP (1760-1799) by Hugh Douglas Hamilton in a pose derived from the Apollo Belvedere at the Vatican is the leading lot at Fonsie Mealy’s sale of contents from Newport House, Co. Mayo on October 20. Hugh was son of Sir Neal O’Donel of Westport, a lineal descendant of Sir Niall Garbh O’Donel (1568-1626) who married the sister of Red Hugh O’Donnell. The portrait is estimated at €70,000-€100,000. There will be viewing at Newport House for three days from October 17. The live and online auction is at The Grace Hotel in Westport.
This Italian sandstone model of three cherubs at play following a classical design heads up Fonsie Mealy’s sale of garden furniture and outdoor effects in Castlecomer on August 12. The estimate is €1,500-€2,000. There are 192 lots on offer with estimates from €40 to €2,000. Among them are statues, urns, garden seats and tables, a horse trough, a 19th century pony trap, mill wheels, bird baths and advertising signs. The catalogue is online. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
The 1823 2nd edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Moore St. flag of Truce from the Easter Rising was the top lot at Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collectors sale. It made a hammer price of €62,000. Other leading hammer prices were: A rare edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (€24,000), Kevin Barry’s personal crucifix and scapular (€19,000), a first edition of Adam Smith’s Inquiry into the wealth of nations (€15,000), an archive from the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin (€15,000), a programme for the 1914 All Ireland Football Final (€14,000), a 2nd edition of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (€9,500), a 1795 general atlas by Thomas Kitchin and others (€9,000), a rare 1918 Irish Proclamation (€8,500) and the Carton House music collection (€8,000).
(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for June 20 and June 13, 2026)
The Gaiety Theatre archive. UPDATE: THIS MADE 15,000 AT HAMMER
From the rapid construction of the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin in 1871 to an incredibly rare 1823 second edition of Frankenstein, the Carton House music collection to the earliest printed house contents sale catalogue in Ireland, Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collections sale in Castlecomer next week covers a multitude.
The catalogue includes the fascinating fact that the much loved Gaiety Theatre – which opened in 1871 and continues merrily to this day – was reputedly built in just 28 weeks from start to finish. Contrast that with a certain Events Centre in Cork where the first sod was turned ten and a half years ago and sod all has happened since. An archive of around 200 vellum patents and legal documents relating to The Gaiety – Sarah Bernhardt, Eileen Terry, Pavarotti, Maureen Potter, Jimmy O’Dea and the D’Oyly Carte Company have all performed here – is estimated at €7,000-€9,000.
A letter signed by Michael Collins as Minister for Finance. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,500 AT HAMMER
The Carton House collection of 18th and 19th century music, purchased at the 1949 dispersal sale, is among the largest collections of music from an Irish stately home to come to market. Music by Handel, Beethoven and Haydn is included among 45 volumes in original calf bindings, many signed by the Duke of Leinster (€5,000-€7,000).
The newly discovered catalogue by Baillie Auctioneer for the sale of the goods of the late Edward Wingfield at Powerscourt and his house in Dublin (€3,000-€5,000) announces (confusingly) that it will begin .. “on Tuesday the 25th day of February 1728-29 and to continue till all are sold”. It lists contents from 45 rooms with lots ranging from 24 fine walnut chairs with Barbary leather seats, a Turkey carpet, five pairs of yellow Indian damask curtains to “One young black Stone Horse fit for an officer” and a stage coach with a new seat cloth never used since it was re-lined.
A 1951-52 photograph of Brendan Behan and Micheal MacLiammoir signed by Daniel Farson. UPDATE: THIS MADE 700 AT HAMMER
Irish and international literature is headed by a rare 1823 edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a second (1813) edition of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and a signed limited edition printing of Bog Poems by Seamus Heaney. A sonnet handwritten by William Wordsworth with provenance to the de Veres of Curragh Chase and the O’Briens of Dromoland Castle is estimated at €1,500-€2,000. A 1951-52 photograph of Brendan Behan and Michael MacLiammoir by Daniel Farson (€700-€900) and a first (1957) edition of From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming (€350-€420) feature among the fascinating lots.
The most expensively estimated of these is the Moore St. flag of Truce, a white linen handkerchief used by Volunteers to surrender during the East Rising (€10,000-€15,000). There is a rare 1918 printing of The Proclamation of the Irish Republic, a 1916 Volunteers green tunic and a 1920 letter signed by Michael Collins as Minister for Finance.
Sporting memorabilia includes a programme for an early soccer international between Ireland and England at Goodison Park, Liverpool in 1907 and a 1914 All Ireland football final programme between Kerry and Wexford which ended in a draw.
The three day sale takes place next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday June 23, 24 and 25. It is on view in Castlecomer on the afternoon of June 21 and from 10 am to 5 pm on June 22. The catalogue is online.
Ist Edition From Russia with Love UPDATE: THIS MADE 400 AT HAMMER
The Moore St. Flag of Truce at Fonsie Mealy’s sale. UPDATE: THIS MADE 62,000 AT HAMMER
In this age of digital and AI it is good to see the enduring popularity of rare book and collectors sales. All sorts of interesting lots come under the hammer. Fonsie Mealy’s three day sale in Castlecomer on June 23, 24 and 25 is headed by the Moore St. flag of truce, the white linen handkerchief which indicated the Volunteers wished to surrender their final position during the Easter Rising on April 29, 1916. Singularities like this do not come cheap and this one is estimated at €10,000-€15,000.
With more than 1,250 lots on offer there is much to choose from, including sporting memorabilia, historical and political items and literature including the first edition in English of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and a scarce 1823 edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Viewing gets underway in Castlecomer on June 19.
In Birr the book auction with more than 600 lots at Purcell Auctioneers on June 17 offers eight folio volumes from the 1871 census arranged by province and county (€600-€800), four folio volumes from the 1881 census with more than 4,000 pages of statistical information and a first edition of Dancing at Lughnasa signed by Brian Friel (€300-€500). At Purcell’s sale in May a 15th century medieval legal manuscript in middle French from the library of Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792-1872) made €36,000 at hammer.
The programme for the 1914 All Ireland Football Final refereed by the patriot and revolutionary Harry Boland at Fonsie Mealy.
This pair or late 17th/early 18th century Italian portraits made €73,000 at Fonsie Mealy’s fine art and antique sale. With a provenance to the Ponsonby’s of Ballynatray, Waterford the oils on canvas depict classical female saints. A c1630 painting of an angel and the dead Christ at candlelight from the Circle of Triomphe Bigot made €19,000 and a Madonna and Child with the infant St. John the Baptist by Raffaellino del Garbo (1466-1524) made €13,000. An early 20th century Fabergé circular pill box made €15,000.
A pair of important 18th Century Italian Baroque style giltwood Console Mirrors. UPDATE: THESE WERE UNSOLD
These 18th century mirrors from Bishopscourt House in Co. Kildare come up as lot 1017 at Fonsie Mealy’s three day Chatsworth Summer Fine Art sale in Castlecomer on May 1. The auction with over 1,300 lots gets underway tomorrow (April 29). The catalogue is online. The mirrors are estimated at €3,000-€4,000.
