A COPY OF THE Irish Proclamation has been sold at auction for €190,000. 

Whyte’s Auctioneers described the document as being an “original example of the historic document published by the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army” in April 1916.

The item also features an inscription in pencil which reads: “This Proclamation …. I took off “Marks” Jewellers shop Henry Street (opposite General Post Office) on Tuesday evening April 25th, 1916, [signed] J. Brady.”

Whyte’s said this inscription is important as it “gives a contemporaneous provenance to the document”.

James Connolly supervised the secret printing of the Proclamation in Liberty Hall and intended printing over 1,000 but as there was not enough metal type to print it in one run only 500 or less were made.

Less than 50 have survived of which most are in museums and institutions so only 20 to 25 are in private hands.

This example was expected to fetch in the region of €100,000. However, bidding between a number of interested parties today saw the item go for €190,000. 

The comparable American Declaration of Independence regularly makes €1 million.