Three-day spring antiques and art fair

Next weekend's three-day spring antiques and fine art fair will take place in the Ballsbridge Hotel (formerly Jury's) on Pembroke Road, Dublin 4.

Event organiser Robin O’Donnell says the event – which replaces a fair traditionally held in the nearby RDS – will open in the hotel on Friday evening, March 20th, at 6pm and end at 6pm on Sunday evening. There will be late opening, until 9pm on both Friday and Saturday.

Thousands of items will be on sale – including jewellery and silver, period furniture, rare books, coins and banknotes, paintings and prints, vintage fashion and various collectibles – in all price ranges.

Participating dealers and galleries include silver specialist Danker Antiques (Dublin); George Stacpoole Antiques (Adare); Victorian paintings specialist Bill Canning of Kilkenny Fine Arts; Vanessa Parker Rare Books (Mayo); Treasures Irish Art (Athlone); Gallery Zozimus (Francis Street); Weldon's Jewellers (Clarendon Street) and furniture specialist William Harnett (Limerick).

Road bowling Also next week, Irish visitors to the spring Chelsea antiques fair in the Old Town Hall, King’s Road, London SW3, (March 18th-22nd) will see “the earliest known depiction of Irish road bowling” at the stand of Bagshawe Fine Art.

The oil on canvas, believed to be by Nathaniel Grogan jnr (circa 1765-1820), depicting the unique Irish game – still played on back roads during summer evenings in parts of Co Cork – is estimated at £35,000.