Art & Antiques: Limerick Fair for St Patrick’s weekend

Limerick’s 2014 City of Culture got off to a stuttering start and the city also suffered considerable disruption in last month’s floods. So organisers of the two-day National Antiques & Art Fair are hoping for a boost in visitors next weekend.

Robin O’Donnell, spokesman for the fair, said there would be more than 100 dealers from around Ireland. Thousands of items will be for sale including period furniture, art, silver, coins and banknotes, clocks, rare books, vintage fashion, Asian art, maps and prints. Entry for adults is €3.50 but with an eye to the Bank Holiday weekend, “children are free and most welcome”.

Among dealers attending is Weldon's of Dublin's Clarendon Street whose stand will feature an extremely rare George I Irish silver saffron pot, made in Dublin in 1719, and engraved with the crest of the Synge family. The pot is a miniature version of the Georgian-era bullet teapot, and was used for serving a saffron infusion, a very expensive drink, so only tiny quantities would ever be served". Given the sheer volume of items in the fair, price lists are not available so the advice is: browse and bargain.

National Antiques & Art Fair, Saturday and Sunday, March 15th and 16th, 10am-6pm daily at the South Court Hotel, Raheen, Limerick.