Film footage of the 1916 Rising and other historic events has sold at auction for £95,000.
The sale took place on 10 June 2000 at Whyte's Auctioneers in Dublin. There was much public interest in the collection of 12 cans of film including newsreel footage of Michael Collins at the wedding of Seán MacEoin and canvassing in Cork for the 1922 elections. The sale featured three strong bidders competing for ownership.
Auctioneer Ian Whyte, would not reveal the identity of the buyer only to say that he or she was a private collector based in Ireland commenting that
The good news is that it has stayed in Ireland.
Ian Whyte added that it might have been prudent for the Irish State to have purchased the films.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 10 June 2000. The reporter is Roisín Duffy.
