Art and antiques auctioned at the Carew family home in Waterford.
Nine generations of the Carew family have lived at Ballinamona Park near Waterford city since 1488. With the passing of the last male of the line, the late Major RJH Carew, the presence in the south east of this Anglo-Irish family has come to an end.
The present house dates from the late nineteenth century and was constructed after a fire in 1894 destroyed the earlier residence, built in the seventeenth century.
The Carews have been associated with Waterford city for centuries. Robert Carew held the position of High Sheriff of the county in 1614. In 1687 another Robert Carew was one of twenty four Waterford Aldermen appointed by King James II as,
Fit and proper persons to administer the affairs of Waterford.
Those who had come to buy the 1700 separate lots packed into a marquee on the lawn. Many came from as far afield as continental Europe and the United States to place bids on the house contents which include Irish and English silver, European and English porcelain, crystal glassware, oil paintings, books and antique furniture.
Auctioneer Fonise Mealy expects a sizable amount will be raised from the sale,
In the hundreds of thousands, I would imagine.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 22 April 1983. The reporter is Michael Ryan.
