OVER 530 items from Balloonagh Convent were sold off over the weekend for in excess of €100,000.

Among the items sold were a bookcase which fetched €8,000, an oil painting for €5,200 and a table for €3,200.

“The amount of interest caught us by surprise. There was very little that didn’t sell,” said Denis Lynes of Lynes and Lynes auctioneers.

The auction was held on Saturday and lasted from 10:30am until 7:30pm. Work continued after with auctioneers assisting buyers at the convent until 11pm that night.

“We had three days of viewing and it got bigger everyday. It was the type of auction where there was a lot to see and hasn’t been in Tralee for a long time, but the interest came from up and down the country also,” said Denis Lynes.

“We were thinking who was going to by the religious statues, but all of them did sell. There was fierce interest in the statues, one of them is even being shipped off to Moldova”

The big ticket item was a bookcase dated from the 1860s that went for €8,000.

“You won’t get something like that again for €8,000. It’s worth every penny of it and is great value for the man who bought it,” said Denis.

The bookcase picked up by a Killarney man so will be remaining in the county. The same buyer bought a table which fetched €3,200.

Twenty-four antique dining chairs went for €1,450, while a large 19th century painting, “Our Lord Breaking Bread”, estimated at between €600 and €1,000, eventually sold for €5,200.

A 500 strong crowd at the auction was a sell out, attracting interest from all corners of the country.

“There was a lot of past pupils and people who had past connections to the convent who turned who were there for a memento. There was also a huge amount of dealers and regular auction goers who like unusual things.”

Some Sisters of Mercy nuns were also present, watching items sold that held so much sentimental value for them.

“They told me they have never been to an auction before in there lives so they were very excited to see one. They were just very interested in the whole thing and happy with the turnout. They were sad and very emotional. They couldn’t believe the broad interest the auction had,” said Denis.