A fascinating collection of items relating to the Easter 1916 Rising comes up for sale this morning at Whyte's of Marlborough Street, Dublin. Being sold as a single lot - and with an estimate of £8,000-£10,000 - the material had been gathered by British troops from Irish Volunteer and Citizen Army prisoners and piled up in the yard of Dublin Castle for destruction. Instead, they were saved by James Hayes, a civil servant working in the Auditor-General's office at the time.
Of greatest interest is a hand-sewn Tricolour flag, which had been flown from one of the buildings occupied by the Volunteers; inscribed in green lettering on the white section are the words "Sinn Fein go Deo." There is also an original copy of Irish War News, vol.1, no.1, which Hayes had sent as a souvenir to George V. It had been returned to him with a letter - also included here - from Neville Chamberlain, Inspector General of the RIC, who pointed out that "the king has already received a copy". Other items in the lot include a Victorian revolver in a holster and two bandoliers, a peaked cap of the kind worn by the Irish Volunteers and some documentation relating to the Rising. It seems James Hayes also recovered four copies of the Proclamation, two of which he gave to colleagues at the time. Sadly, the other two were discovered and destroyed by his wife, fearful that, were they seen by the authorities, Hayes might lose his pensionable job.
These are by no means the only lots of Irish interest in this sale. Also on offer is a large collection of documents relating to the earldom of Fingall, a title created in 1628 and which only became extinct 15 years ago on the 12th earl's death. Dating from the 17th to the present century, the documents number more than 400 and are expected to fetch £800-£1,000. The same figure is given by Whyte's for a letter written on June 20th, 1690 - a week before the Battle of the Boyne - by Thomas Osborne, Earl of Carmarthen to his brother-in-law, James Bertie, Earl of Abington. Carmarthen writes: "My Lord has heard of the kgs [William III] safe arrival in Ireland on the 14th; and has marched with the Army from Belfast on Thursday last towards the river of Boyne, where they will endeavour to hinder his passage if they intend to make any stand in the field."
Whyte's are also offering a pair of 1920 cheques written by Terence MacSwiney, the Lord Mayor of Cork who died on hunger strike later that year. One of these cheques is made payable to Miceal O Coilean (Michael Collins), who has signed it in Irish on the reverse, "per pro Dail Eireann." The pair has an estimate of £600-£800. Finally, from among the 1,500-plus lots in the sale a 1787 map is worth noting. Drawn in ink on canvas at 10 ft to an inch, the map shows part of Dublin's Temple Bar district, including Anglesea Street, Foster Place and "New Additions to the House of Commons." Seemingly approved by the Wide Street Commissioners, the canvas is signed by David LaTouche, James Hamilton, Luke Gardiner and others, and it has a pre-sale estimate of £500-£700.
