Celebrate St Patrick’s weekend with an Irish antiques fair

Silver, china, porcelain to jewellery, banknotes and coins and small furniture will be on sale in Limerick

Synchronicity by Diana Copperwhite at Lot 100 auction

Sat Mar 15 2025 - 05:00

If you’re looking for an interesting day out for St Patrick’s Day weekend, you could consider heading to the Limerick Racecourse Antiques, Art and Vintage Fair. With its eclectic range of dealers selling everything from silver, china, porcelain and jewellery to banknotes, coins and small furniture, there will definitely be something for everyone.

With more than 50 traders, Hibernian Antique and Fine Arts Fairs, run by Robin O’Donnell, is a who’s who of the provincial antique dealer scene, with a few Dublin dealers joining in.

According to O’Donnell, the dealers fight to make sure they keep their spots every time.

“Some even pay for their stands if they happen to be on holidays, to make sure they have their stand the next time,” says O’Donnell, who meets and greets on the door. Although just about everything is priced, everyone – including the dealers- expects to be able to haggle.

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Dan Hartnett from Listowel, Co Kerry, with his range of antique tools, is one of the more unusual dealers at the fair. Hartnett, who worked in the dairy industry, started dealing in antique tools as a retirement hobby. “I’ve hammers, chisels, planes and spoke shaves, which wheelwrights used to make wooden wheels for horse-drawn carriages,” he says. He also has antique coopers’ planes, which are used to make barrels.

Hartnett has been collecting tools from car boot sales since about 1985. He restores them himself. Most of his customers are hobbyists.

There are newcomers too, including Stephen Ryan, who brings a range of Spanish antiques to the fair.

The Limerick Racecourse Antiques, Arts and Vintage Fair is the largest fair O’Donnell runs. It is sited just off the M7/M20 motorways, with lots of free parking, and is easily accessed from all over the country. “Every inch of the enormous indoor venue is filled to the rafters with antiques, art and vintage from almost every antique dealer in the country,” says O’Donnell. The fair runs 11am-6pm on Saturday and Sunday, March 15th-16th. Admission is €5 per adult and children go free.

Lot 100 in Lismore, Co Waterford

Artichoke Graffiti, November 2020 by Mariela Martin

Lot 100, the newly established auction house in Lismore, Co Waterford, is having its second auction this month, with viewing in Chapel Street, Lismore, next Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. Intentionally pitching their sales at the new and young collectors’ market, Ken Madden and Beth-Ann Smith have an interesting mix of paintings, prints and photographs in the auction.

Sign 2, France by Keith Payne at Lot 100 auction

Fans of the English rock band Pink Floyd may remember the inflatable pig that was on stage during their concerts. Its creator, Keith Payne, who lived with his wife, Miranda in Schull in west Cork for years, had a passion for prehistoric art. Following his death last year, he left behind a collection of paintings and sculptures inspired by the symbols and patterns engraved in caves and Palaeolithic sites. One of these, Sign 2, France (€350-€650) is included in Lot 100’s next auction. Also included is Synchronicity (€300-€400), a print (photo intaglio on paper) by Irish artist Diana Copperwhite, and an oil painting by Peter Murray, former director of the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, called Downeen Seascape (€1,200-€1,500). Some large photographs, including Artichoke Graffiti, November 2020 (€1,200-€1,500) by Mariela Martin, an American artist living in Co Waterford, are also included.

Restoration course in Co Meath

Furniture restorer George Williams with some antique chairs that have been restored at his courses in Wells, Co Meath

Now that spring is finally here, it’s a good time for house-cleaning and generally refreshing our homes for entertaining. Some will also be inclined to restore pieces of furniture and may be seeking expert advice. If so, consider making contact with antique furniture restorer George Williams, who will host a range of courses for those willing to put in the work themselves.

Williams restored a house on Capel Street, Dublin in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and ran his antique business, George Williams Antiques, from the premises. Then, with his wife, Maggy, he moved to Kells, Co Meath, bringing his antiques with him.

Now he dedicates much of his time to restoration. “The courses are informal and include lunch in the house and a walk around the garden,” says Maggy. “George is passionate about restoration and likes to share his knowledge.”

A one-day course in staining and French polishing goes ahead on Saturday, April 26th; an antique furniture restoration course is scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd; and traditional upholstery of an antique chair is planned for Saturday, May 24th. New this year is a course on restoring and maintaining 18th- and 19th-century sash windows, on Saturday, May 10th. Each course runs 10am-5pm and costs €200 per person.

lot100.ie; georgian-antiques.com