Former contents of Ireland’s most iconic five-star hotels, including Galway’s Glenlo Abbey Hotel will take centre stage in what is billed as the most diverse auction of the year – fuelled by the pandemic.
While Covid-19 wreaked havoc with the hospitality industry, it also gave the sector breathing space for refurbishment ahead of its much-anticipated re-opening in June 2021.
The result of that collective clearout is a mammoth treasure trove of furniture, artwork and collectibles from Dublin’s Four Seasons (now Intercontinental ) and Westin Hotels, rubbing shoulders with memorabilia from the famed Buck Whaley’s nightclub and Larry Murphy’s pub.
Also going under the hammer are contents of the prestigious Glenlo Abbey in Galway, Powerscourt Resort and Spa in Wicklow (formerly Ritz Carlton ) and the four-star Trinity City Hotel in the capital.
All five hotels are part of the MHL Collection. And it is showtime - possibly once more - for the original, wooden ticket office from the Ambassador cinema on O’Connell Street.
The two-day sale of more than 1,200 lots at Dublin’s Prussia Street on January 17 and 18, is expected to generate in excess of €200,000.
A joint auction organised by Kieran Murray and Niall Mullen Auctioneers, the ‘Five Star Interiors Sale’, handled by Aiden Foley, will open for physical viewing for four days in advance, but the live sale runs online.
“All of these hotels and bars were refurbished during Covid, when their doors were shut and the contents moved to storage,” said Mullen, who previously masterminded the sale of the entire contents of Dublin’s Morrison and Berkeley Court hotels.
“It’s a no-reserve so everything must go. Already, it promises to be one of the most interesting auctions of the year.
“The hotels featured would consistently be top of the list for tourists, it’s just that normally there wouldn’t be a coming together (of contents ) of so many.
“To take on a hotel auction is tricky, but when they all come together, they work.”
A collection of six bronze lanterns guide at €300-€500 each, while a decorative, gilt settee from Glenlo Abbey guides at €800.
“Most likely, if this auction was happening in non-Covid times, the stuff simply would not have been stored, but because almost everything was in storage, it allows an event like this to happen,” says Mullen.
“This certainly won’t happen again, it is purely a product of Covid and the unprecedented effect it had on the hospitality industry.”
“People can come and enjoy the story of where these items came from over four days and after that, it will be live for two days.”
The catalogue for the ‘Five Star Interiors Sale’, running online on January 17 and 18, is available at irishcountryhome.com
