“It’s like a travelling circus,” said jewellery dealer Cherylann Erkelens, from Co Antrim , at the Fine Arts and Antiques Fair in Birr, Co Offaly, earlier this week. She was referring to how the dealers move from antiques fair to antiques fair throughout Ireland, selling their wares to enthusiastic crowds, and also willing to travel to find a sought-after piece of jewellery, an unusual decorative piece, a Persian rug or vintage bottle of wine.
Erkelens, owner of PS It’s Vintage, was one of 26 dealers selling everything from antique furniture and handwoven antique and vintage rugs to vintage and antique jewellery, militaria, bank notes and coins, and a plethora of ornaments, chinaware, cutlery and glassware in the County Arms Hotel on Monday and Tuesday.
Robin O’Donnell from Hibernian Fine Art and Antique Fairs has been running the antiques fair in Birr for more than 20 years. “People come from all over Ireland and we had over 1,100 on Bank Holiday Monday which was up on the previous two years,” said O’Donnell, who couldn’t attend this year’s fair in person as he was recovering from surgery.
Watching dealers interact with their customers, a gentle air of respect for expert knowledge and an appreciation of quality could be observed.
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The big advantage of attending an antique fair over buying at an auction is the opportunity for tactile engagement with a potential purchase. Not only can prospective buyers handle what takes their fancy, but they can also haggle one-on-one with the seller without fear of someone bidding over them.
