An original copy of the 1916 Proclamation is expected to make more than £20,000 at auction in Dublin this week. The Proclamation was printed in Liberty Hall on Easter Sunday 1916, and completed at 1 a.m. on Easter Monday under the armed protection of soldiers from the Irish Citizen Army.
Because of the difficult conditions under which it was produced, it was printed in two halves. The print run was 2,500, on paper of the poorest quality, similar to that used in James Connolly's Workers' Republic newspaper.
Most copies were destroyed in the fighting, and fewer than 20 are known to be in existence today, according to the auctioneer, Mr Fonsie Mealy.
The copy for auction this week is being sold by a Dublin family who have owned it for about 30 years. Other copies are held by the National Library, as well as private collectors in the US.
A wide variety of items and books are also being auctioned, including a contemporary sketch of Robert Emmet in the dock and souvenirs of the 1916 Rising. Viewing is in the Tara Hotel, Merrion Road, Dublin, today, with the auction taking place tomorrow and Thursday.
