Michael Collins Eldon photo sells for twice its estimate at auction

BY PAULINE MURPHY

A photo-postcard of Michael Collins leaving Skibbereen's Eldon Hotel just hours before his death on August 22nd 1922 sold for double its estimated hammer price of €600 when a purchaser spent €1,200 on it at auction last weekend.

The photo, one of the last taken of Collins, shows the Big Fella getting into his Leyland touring car outside the Eldon before he headed to Beal na Bláth on that fateful day.

The image was sold at auction house Whyte's 'History Sale' in Dublin on Saturday.

Another rare Collins item which attracted attention at the auction was an ink caricature. The expected hammer price for this item was e800 but it sold at a much higher price - e2,000!

The pen and ink caricature of Michael Collins was drawn by his secretary Ellie Lyons. The light hearted cartoon was sketched by Miss Lyons during the tense treaty negotiations of 1921.

The caricature of Collins, complete with his famous Homburg hat, shows the West Cork man with the word "ogs" sketched next to him. Ogs was how Collins pronounced the word eggs! Also sketched next to the caricature of Collins are the words"On With the Work" which was a favourite saying of the Big Fella.

A more sombre item which sold at the auction was a framed picture of Free State Colonel Commandant Tom Kehoe.

The Carlow born Kehoe was a member of Collins famous hit-squad known as "The 12 Apostles" and was often described as his most trusted friend. He was killed a month after Collins, at Carrigaphooca outside Macroom.

On September 16th 1922 Kehoe was travelling with a troop of soldiers when they came upon a roadblock which had a concealed mine. As Kehoe and his men were removing the road block they triggered the mine and six of the soldiers were killed. Kehoe was badly injured and taken to a hospital in the city where he died hours later. Mary Collins Powell, sister of Michael, was at Kehoe's bedside when he died.

The framed picture of Kehoe sold for e750. It is mounted on the cloth of Free State uniform with two of Kehoe's cuff buttons on either side.