Dublin seminary sells off contents to make way for Ukrainian refugees

More than 600 lots from Clonliffe College Seminary in Drumcondra will go under the hammer on Tuesday, May 10, with viewing on site from the previous Saturday through to Monday. Niall Mullen Antiques is hosting the sale, which features antique, ecclesiastical, mid-century and modern items, on behalf of the Archdiocese of Dublin.

Following the sale, the former seminary will be prepared by Dublin’s Catholic Archdiocese as a facility to shelter an estimated 620 refugees fleeing the war in their native Ukraine.

“The contents of this college are a window into a significant part of Irish culture in the 19th and 20th century, and it is amazing to see the variety of styles accumulated in this collection over the years,” said Mullen.

The 611 lots span Edwardian and Victorian antiques, all the way through to modern art and functional furniture. 

Among the ecclesiastical elements featuring at the auction are a 19th-century oak pulpit, an oak confessional box that has a high estimate of €5,000, and a wide collection of pews, including antique pitch pine specimens, as well as over 70 pieces of art dating back 300 years.

Music lovers have the opportunity of bidding on several instruments, including a Steinway and Sons, ebonized grand piano estimated at €2,000-€4,000, a pipe organ, a walnut cased Mason and Hamlin American organ and a vintage Baldwin organ, framed in mahogany.

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Steinway and Sons, ebonized grand piano.

Furniture of note includes a showstopping continental carved oak bench, guiding at an upper estimate of €1,200, a Victorian rosewood prie-dieu chair with tapestry upholstered back, a Hicks of Dublin specimen cabinet with a glass display top which includes the original receipt, a 17th-century Italian side cabinet with gilded embellishment guiding at €1,500-€3,000 and a large mahogany framed Irish throne chair, Strahan Dublin label, guiding at €1,500-€2,000. 

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A continental carved oak bench, guiding at an upper estimate of €1,200.

From the library of the college comes antique pine library steps, an Edwardian oak revolving bookcase, a full-height library stepladder, haberdashery style shelving, and a lot comprising two vintage pine bookcases, a trolley, shelving and a lamp.

Also included in the sale are a range of more practical items, including catering equipment and desks, chairs and storage in a variety of styles from antique to modern.

“It is an honor to facilitate the movement of these interesting elements of Irish history out into the wider world, especially given that their sale heralds a new chapter of this building’s life as we open our arms to those fleeing conflict,” said Mullen.

The sale will take place live online and in-person at Clonliffe College, Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra, Dublin, from 3 pm on May 10, as well as live on easyliveauctions.com and victormeeauctions.ie.