A PAIR of antique globes originally from Strokestown House Co Roscommon, will return home after an Irish company paid £78,500 at Christie's in London. The Westward Group, owners of Strokestown House, paid the sum after a frenetic five minute auction.
The chairman of the Westward board, Mr Jim Callery, said he was delighted the globes will be returning to the house where they stood until 1981, before being removed by the previous owner,
Col Nicholas Pakenham Mahon.
"I hope I'm not sacked as chairman after this because I far exceeded our limit. We intended not to spend half this amount," Mr Callery said.
The two regency mahogany globes, which date back to the early 1800s, were bought by the Pakenham family in the mid 1940s.
A number of antiques from Headfort House, Co Meath, were sold to anonymous buyers for a total of £33,350.