Contents of Killashee House to be sold

The contents of a Co Kildare property, Killashee House, more recently known as Our Lady's Bower, are to be sold by Mullen's next Tuesday on the premises.

This large, neo-Jacobean property, built by Turner of Belfast in the 1860s, still contains some of its original furnishings, and while these are not specified in the sale catalogue, presumably they include a number of the heavier items of furniture.

Among these is a Victorian gothic oak sideboard, dating from the same period as the house's construction and bearing the arms of former owners, the St Leger Moore family. This has an estimate of £3,000-£5,000, while a Victorian oak dining table and a set of 18 oak dining chairs are expected to sell for £4,000-£6,000 and £5,000-£7,000 respectively.

Also in the same section of the sale is a Victorian gothic oak cabinet (£4,500-£5,500) and, altogether lighter in appearance, an Edwardian mahogany sofa table (£2,000-£3,000). 19th-century workmanship is shown to advantage in a number of other lots here, such as a Dutch mahogany and floral marquetry bombe bureau (£6,000-£10,000), a mid-century marquetry and rosewood library table (£8,000-£12,000) and, from the same period, a kingwood and burr walnut bureau by Gillows (£8,000-£12,000). Much earlier is a William and Mary oyster veneered marquetry cabinet on stand (£8,000-£10,000) and, from among the continental lots are a late 18th-century north German walnut bureau (£4,000-£5,000) and a French kingwood bonheur du jour, circa 1800 (£4,000-£5,000).

Single-stone diamond ring for £20,000-plus

A marquise-shaped diamond single-stone ring - the diamond weighing 2.14 carats and with a certificate confirming it is both colourless and internally flawless - is being offered by O'Reilly's of Dublin next Wednesday. With a pre-sale estimate of £20,000-£25,000, this item is likely to be the highlight of the fine jewels auction, in which a step-cut solitaire diamond ring weighing over four carats is expected to sell for £12,000-£14,000, a diamond bracelet with 170 diamonds for £15,000-£18,000 and a sapphire and diamond cluster ring, the sapphire of 9.12 carats, for £9,000-£12,000. There are also other diamond rings, necklaces and earrings, and such pieces include a cultured pearl necklace with diamond clasp by Van Cleef & Arpels and a diamond and emerald cluster ring (both £4,000-£4,500 each).

Some fine examples of portraits at Blackrock

While portraits do not always readily find buyers at auction, there are a number of handsome examples of the form being offered by Adams of Blackrock, Co Dublin, on Monday. Sean O'Sullivan, for example, is represented by a pastel portrait of his brother, Kevin, which has the low estimate of £400-£600, and there is also a half-length charcoal portrait of John B. Yeats in old age (£2,000-£2,500) and a portrait of the artist's mother in wash by Louis Le Brocquy (£3,000-£4,000). There is also what is described as a 19th century Irish school half-length portrait of a young man, an oil on canvas which looks like a copy of a portrait of the youthful Lord Byron; it has an estimate of £600-£800. Also in this sale of Irish and continental paintings are works by Maurice MacGonigal, Rose Barton, George Campbell, Edith Somerville, Tony O'Malley, Arthur Armstrong and Daniel O'Neill.

Books and bookcases on offer in Youghal

Charleville auctioneer P.J. O'Gorman seems to be making the disposal of religious houses' contents something of a speciality. Latest to come under his hammer is the Christian Brothers property in Youghal where a sale begins at 1.30 p.m. today. Among the 300-plus lots are Victorian mahogany bookcases and desks, a Regency rosewood brass-inlaid card table, a Georgian wine cooler, sets of Victorian dining chairs and an early Victorian walnut writing table, stamped Gillows. There will also be more than 800 books for sale.

£800 for possibly first letter sent to Monserrat

Whyte's of Marlborough Street in Dublin has a very substantial sale of stamps and postal items starting at 1 p.m. today. Worth noting among more than 1,200 lots, expected to fetch in the region of £150,000, is a letter sent from Waterford to Montserrat in 1671. This is possibly the earliest letter sent to this island, which was settled by Irish exiles in 1632 (estimate £800).

Other highlights include a 1935 Irish twopence stamp with imperforate sides for use in a vending machine (£550) and a 1930 Shannon Scheme two-pence stamp on a postcard sent on the first day of issue, October 15th (£400).

Waterford sale offers Strahan chairs for £1,500

The contents of a house in Tramore, Co Waterford, will be sold by local auctioneer R.J. Keighery on Monday, when lots include a set of six Strahan dining chairs (estimate £1,200-£1,500), a rosewood centre table (£2,000-£2,500), an inlaid grandfather clock from the hand of A. Parker of Waterford (£1,200-£1,500) and a two-door rosewood bookcase (£800-£1,200).