A MOVIE camera belonging to Count John McCormack is to go on sale at an auction in Antrim next month.
And undeveloped film included in the camera case could contain footage of the world in which the renowned Irish tenor lived.
The American camera, owned by McCormack in the 1930s, is contained in a brown leather case lined with green velvet.
The case lid is embossed in gold with the words “Count John McCormack, Moore Abbey, Monasterevan, Killdare”.
McAfee Auctions has said the camera came from a collector who bought it in Athlone, Co Westmeath, in the 1980s from a publican.
Born in Athlone in 1884, McCormack won his first gold medal at the Dublin Feis Ceoil in 1903. Following formal operatic training in Italy, he made his debut at Teatro Chiabrera, Savona, in 1906.
He launched his career in America and toured Australia in 1911 with Dame Nellie Melba.
When the camera to be auctioned next month was new, McCormack was at the height of his powers.
In 1932 he was chosen to sing Panis Angelicus for the Eucharistic Congress in the Phoenix Park.
He had already been awarded the title of papal count by Pope Pius XI and had moved with his family to Moore Abbey, in Monasterevin.
He was also spending much of his time in Hollywood where he purchased land at Runyon Canyon and built a mansion called San Patrizio.
The estate played host to many movie stars and auctioneer Gerry McAfee speculated that some of them could be included on the footage. He said the auction house believe the film had been used but never developed.
“Bearing in mind that Count John McCormack was friendly with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars during the golden age of the silver screen and he was a personal friend of James Joyce, it will be a fascinating purchase for anyone interested in this superstar’s career,” Mr McAfee said.
The camera is expected to fetch a four-figure sum, he said, and there has already been interest from fans and collectors.
It will be auctioned on October 1st at McAfee Auctions, Ballycastle, Co Antrim.
