Whyte’s auction demonstrated the continuing confidence in the market for Irish works of rarity and quality, with a sale total of €1 million gross including Buyers’ Premium. The top prices were €90,000 apiece for Paul Henry’s In Connemara and Louis le Brocquy’s Image of Samuel Beckett, with Sir William Orpen’s Portrait of Ferris Bligh St. George making €60,000 hammer price. Remarkable results included: An oil on canvas by Graham Knuttel, Cutting A Deal estimated at €6,000 to €8,000 sold for a hammer price of €12,000. Daniel O'Neill (1920-1974) Girl in a Headscarf, estimate €15,000 to €20,000 sold for €20,000. John Behan's bronze sculpture, Seven Boyne Valley Warriors sold for €11,500. There was great interest in all the Ciaran Clear lots, with The Road Home, estimated €4,000 to €6,000 selling for €6,300. A Percy French set of 9 Landscapes sold for it’s top estimate of €10,000.
