Fears were expressed today that the original hand-written words and music of Ireland`s national anthem could leave the country after an auction in April.
By:Press Association
Penned by Peadar Kearney in 1907 on two pieces of paper, the Soldier`s Song (Amhran na Bhfiann), is expected to attract bids of up to €1.2 million (£820,000) when it goes under the hammer.
Poignant last letters from Easter Rising revolutionaries will also be sold in one of the most historically significant auctions ever held in the country.
Auctioneer Fonsie Mealy said he was worried the state`s national anthem could be sold to a collector outside Ireland.
"Of supreme national importance, it will naturally be of interest to many Irish collectors and we would hope to see it stay in the country," he said.
"However, having already been offered to the state on different occasions, we are concerned that it could leave Ireland because of huge international interest."
Ireland`s leading auction houses, James Adam & Sons and Mealy`s Auctioneers, are joining forces to host the sale, which will be held in April to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.
The Soldier`s Song (Amhran na Bhfiann) was popularised by Irish revolutionaries during the Easter Rising and formally adopted as Ireland`s national anthem in 1926.
Stuart Cole, director of James Adam & Sons, said the sale is unique in every respect.
"No sale of such national importance has ever been held before, and we imagine it won`t be matched for a long time after," he said.
"Many of the items consigned for auction are one-offs. Previously unseen and entirely irreplaceable, they derive from important Irish families directly involved in the Easter Rising and the battle for Irish independence."
Mr Mealy, director of Mealy`s Auctioneers, Castlecomer, said it is difficult to place estimates on some of the lots, due to their uniqueness and the level of interest they may incur.
"A case in point is the recently-sold handwritten letter by Padraig Pearse asking volunteers to surrender, which fetched 10 times its estimate at Adam`s, making €700,000 (£479,000) on the night," he added.
The national anthem will be auctioned alongside items that track the history of the Irish revolution, from the spark of 1798 right through to the British government`s telegram announcing the declaration of the Irish Free State.
Of the 400 lots catalogued for sale, other important items include:
:: Sean McDermott`s poignant handwritten letter on the eve of his own execution addressed to John Daly, mayor of Limerick, who is uncle to Edward Daly and Kathleen Clarke;
:: An archive of papers from the 1880-1916 period, written by and relating to Thomas Clarke, the first signatory of the Proclamation, including his final letter, before execution, to his wife Kathleen Clarke;
:: The first communication that Ireland was to become a free state - a telegram from the Duke of Devonshire, informing the Irish Secretary of State, WT Cosgrave, that the King has just agreed to give Ireland independence,;
:: The Tricolour believed to have flown over the GPO during the 1916 Easter Rising;
:: Irish revolutionary Thomas Francis Meagher`s last letter written before deportation to Tasmania;
:: Collections of Padraig Pearse letters and poetry, including an autographed unpublished manuscript appealing for funds and explaining plans for St Enda`s, also signed by Thomas McDonagh;
:: Original architect`s watercolour drawings showing the elevations of the GPO building;
:: An original Proclamation dating to the 1916 Easter Rising;
:: Michael Collins` typewriter and an essay he wrote on Ancient and Modern Warfare aged 14.
The Independence Sale is to take place on April 12.
By:Press Association
Penned by Peadar Kearney in 1907 on two pieces of paper, the Soldier`s Song (Amhran na Bhfiann), is expected to attract bids of up to €1.2 million (£820,000) when it goes under the hammer.
Poignant last letters from Easter Rising revolutionaries will also be sold in one of the most historically significant auctions ever held in the country.
Auctioneer Fonsie Mealy said he was worried the state`s national anthem could be sold to a collector outside Ireland.
"Of supreme national importance, it will naturally be of interest to many Irish collectors and we would hope to see it stay in the country," he said.
"However, having already been offered to the state on different occasions, we are concerned that it could leave Ireland because of huge international interest."
Ireland`s leading auction houses, James Adam & Sons and Mealy`s Auctioneers, are joining forces to host the sale, which will be held in April to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.
The Soldier`s Song (Amhran na Bhfiann) was popularised by Irish revolutionaries during the Easter Rising and formally adopted as Ireland`s national anthem in 1926.
Stuart Cole, director of James Adam & Sons, said the sale is unique in every respect.
"No sale of such national importance has ever been held before, and we imagine it won`t be matched for a long time after," he said.
"Many of the items consigned for auction are one-offs. Previously unseen and entirely irreplaceable, they derive from important Irish families directly involved in the Easter Rising and the battle for Irish independence."
Mr Mealy, director of Mealy`s Auctioneers, Castlecomer, said it is difficult to place estimates on some of the lots, due to their uniqueness and the level of interest they may incur.
"A case in point is the recently-sold handwritten letter by Padraig Pearse asking volunteers to surrender, which fetched 10 times its estimate at Adam`s, making €700,000 (£479,000) on the night," he added.
The national anthem will be auctioned alongside items that track the history of the Irish revolution, from the spark of 1798 right through to the British government`s telegram announcing the declaration of the Irish Free State.
Of the 400 lots catalogued for sale, other important items include:
:: Sean McDermott`s poignant handwritten letter on the eve of his own execution addressed to John Daly, mayor of Limerick, who is uncle to Edward Daly and Kathleen Clarke;
:: An archive of papers from the 1880-1916 period, written by and relating to Thomas Clarke, the first signatory of the Proclamation, including his final letter, before execution, to his wife Kathleen Clarke;
:: The first communication that Ireland was to become a free state - a telegram from the Duke of Devonshire, informing the Irish Secretary of State, WT Cosgrave, that the King has just agreed to give Ireland independence,;
:: The Tricolour believed to have flown over the GPO during the 1916 Easter Rising;
:: Irish revolutionary Thomas Francis Meagher`s last letter written before deportation to Tasmania;
:: Collections of Padraig Pearse letters and poetry, including an autographed unpublished manuscript appealing for funds and explaining plans for St Enda`s, also signed by Thomas McDonagh;
:: Original architect`s watercolour drawings showing the elevations of the GPO building;
:: An original Proclamation dating to the 1916 Easter Rising;
:: Michael Collins` typewriter and an essay he wrote on Ancient and Modern Warfare aged 14.
The Independence Sale is to take place on April 12.
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