Auctioneer Paul Walsh has opened his second antique and art auction house in Clarecastle, Co Clare. Mr Walsh has run the well known and successful Galway Auction Rooms in Kilcolgan for the past five years.
Mr Walsh, whose father also ran an auction house, is optimistic about the future of antiques and art despite the economic downturn. The Clarecastle branch will hold its first auction this weekend.
“I love the excitement that auctions create and there are always bargains to be had,” he said. “As the auction room in Clarecastle is not as large as the Galway Auction Rooms we are restricted by the amount of lots we can offer, but I expect to see 450 to 550 lots in most auctions.
“This auction certainly provides a great deal of quality furniture with very fair estimates. Also we are thankful to Belfast artist Con Campbell who has supplied us with 24 of his excellent paintings, mostly of equine interest. I really think Con’s paintings are of exceptional quality and he can paint in any medium. A head only portrait of Tony McCoy painting onto the results page of The Irish Field is unique and carries an estimate of €400 to €600, as do most of his paintings. I can only see his price rise in the future and he has just received a commission to paint three paintings for Ireland’s most notable racing enthusiast who I cannot name, but everyone knows who I am talking about and the man is no fool. While all our auctions in Galway are held on Mondays it can be difficult for people to attend who are holding down full time jobs, so to give everyone a chance we chose Saturday mornings for Clarecastle.”
Antiques auctions can yield all sorts of interesting and unusual finds, as Mr Walsh discovered recently.
“A lady knocked on the door last week and asked would I look at a piece of metal she had in her car,” he explained. “On examination, this piece of metal turned out to be the British Royal Coat of Arms bearing the Irish harp. This coat of arms was introduced in 1837 and this particular piece adorned the royal flag and dates from around 1870. To the best of my knowledge it had been found in Kilkenny around the time of the Civil War, as it is painted entirely in green it is likely that it was forged here in Ireland.
The auction will start at 11am on Saturday September 11 and is expected to finish by 3pm or 4pm. Viewing takes place today (Thursday ) from 10am to 7pm, Friday from 10am to 8pm, and Saturday from 9am to the start of the auction. For more information phone (065 ) 6866016 or (087 ) 8144030, email [email protected], or view the catalogue online at www.galwayauctionrooms.com
