St Patrick's auction raises £28,000
BY PEADAR WHELAN
Last weekend's fundraising events in aid of the St Patrick's Day
Carnival raised thousands of pounds and far exceeded the
expectations of the organisers. ``It was brilliant, a real boost,''
organiser Irene Sherry told An Phoblacht.
The Historical and Cultural Auction on Saturday night netted
£28,000. That so much money was raised, and the breadth of
support for the parade, will be a puck in the eye to those
unionists on Belfast City Council who have consistently refused
funding to the carnival.
The auction was conducted by Andy Moore , a brother of the
fanmous Christy Moore, who contributed a manuscript of the song
The Time has Come, penned in memory of Bobby Sands.
original painting of IRA Volunteer Mairead Farrell by West
Belfast artist Frank Quigley went for £2,450, while the guitar
used by Bik McFarlane when he wrote Song for Marcella, a tribute
to his close friend Bobby Sands, also broke the £2,000 ceiling
and went for £2,100. A pipe belonging to the Sinn Féin President
Gerry Adams sold for £1,250.
Among the other items of political and historical value that went
under the hammer were a full copy of An Phoblacht
from the Hunger Strike year, 1981 and an original copy of Eoin
MacNeill's Irish Volunteer from 1915. Former Taoiseach Albert
Reynolds donated his copy of the Downing Street Declaration,
signed by himself and British Prime Minister John Major in 1993,
which sold for £900.
Stars of the sporting world also contributed, including snooker
ace Jimmy White, who donated a cue and the Armagh football team,
who handed over a signed O'Neill's jersey. Former Antrim hurling
great Ger Rogan contributed a hand carved model of an O'Neill's
football.
Other contributors included English human rights barrister
Michael Mansfield, Noobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney,
lawyer and former Civil Rights activist Michael Farrell, singer
Frances Black, RTE commentator Mícheál Ó Muireheartaigh, artists
Robert Ballagh and Jim Fitzpatrick, playwright Brian Friel, Irish
ambassador to Washington Sean Ó hUiginn, Martin McGuinness,
Bairbre de Brún, Bertie Ahern, John Hume and even David Trimble.
The auction was preceded by a sponsored abseiling event at
Belfast's Europa Hotel. Around 150 daredevils, led by the
irrepressible Gerry Kelly, and including yours truly, braved the
180-foot drop despite the wet and windy weather. Over £5,500 was
raised by the abseilers.
Although pictured smiling as he went over the edge, Kelly
confidedto An Phoblacht: ``I couldn't face my breakfast this
morning as I was worried it would end up in the middle of Great
Victoria Street. But I'd rather face the drop this morning than
be in David Trimble's shoes.'' He was, of course, referring to the
meeting of the Ulster Unionist Party executive around the corner
in Glengall Street, where once again Trimble was taking on that
colossus of the `No' camp, Jeffrey Donaldson.
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