Art auction `disappointing'

The first Dublin auction of prints and paintings by students at Limerick School of Art and Design was something of a disappointment for organisers and students alike. Organiser Des MacMahon described the auction as "a giveway" - and indeed there were some bargains from up-and-coming artists. Not as many people as expected turned up to the auction, held in Arnott's department store on Thursday. While bidding did not go as high as was hoped, McMahon maintained that the auction had made money. "The whole point of the print auction is to pay for the students," he said. In the past, the money made by auctions of students' work has funded trips to various places, ranging from Moscow to Barcelona to Berlin.

The print auction will return to Limerick tomorrow, where those who missed the Dublin auction have a chance to make a bid. The Limerick print auction will be held at Jurys Hotel, Ennis Road. . Viewing is from 5 p.m. and the auction starts at 7.30 p.m.

In the 12 years that the auction has been held it has never made less than £6,000.