One of the finest collections of Irish motoring history will go up for auction in London next Monday, amid growing concern within the classic car community that such a public sale will mean a break-up of the collection and its departure from Ireland.
Until its closure in June 2005, the Killarney Museum was undoubtedly the most significant motor museum in this country and the auction has caused some controversy with some Irish enthusiasts feeling that the collection should not be offered for sale outside Ireland.
Martin Bernon, himself an old car enthusiast and auctioneer, expressed the thoughts of many when he said "given the resources now available here and the commercial climate that exists in Ireland, it is very regrettable that the many cars of particular Irish interest in the museum should not have been offered for sale here".
Several Irish enthusiasts believe that the collection should not be offered for sale outside Ireland.
The auction is being held by Bonhams at the RAF Museum at Hendon, London, when the contents of the Museum of Irish Transport which was formerly at Killarney, goes under the hammer.
The origins of the museum go back to 1945 when Denis Lucey, originally from Macroom, Co Cork, was given an old car lamp by his father, Jeremiah.
The lamp was from the "Moon" Rolls Royce used by the IRA around Cork during the War of Independence and it was the start of Lucey's interest in collecting Irish motoring history.
As the collection grew, he harboured an ambition to share his collection with the public and this opportunity finally came in early 1987, when the Museum of Irish Transport opened in Killarney.
Following Lucey's death some years ago, his widow, Mary, and daughters Eileen and Ann Marie continued to run the museum, and in the process, displaying their own considerable knowledge of early motoring. But the loss of the museum site led to its closure in June 2005.
When no suitable site was found, and with the bulk of the museum exhibits in storage, the decision to sell the collection was made. Despite a number of approaches, the family decided that the collection should be consigned to a specialist auction house.
The resulting auction of cars, bicycles and automobilia is the biggest Irish collection of early transport material to come on the market since the sale of the contents of the Blarney Motor Museum several decades ago.