Rare porcelain up for sale

A unique collection of Belleek pottery is about to be auctioned in County Fermanagh. BBC Newsline's Julian Fowler reports that local people are hoping at least some part of this rare and valuable collection does not disappear overseas.

This Belleek collection includes more than 1,000 items, some dating back 150 years to when the factory first opened.

It was lovingly put together over the past 40 years by Beatrice McIlroy from Lisnarick, who died last month.

Many of the items are incredibly rare and auctioneer Geoffrey Simpson, from Viewback Antiques, said Belleek collectors from around the world had expressed an interest.

Although it is a private collection which has never been put on public display, it has formed the basis of several coffee table books and academic studies of Belleek.

However, there is concern that, unless local museums step in, an important part of Irish heritage might disappear overseas.

The McIlroy house is an Aladdin's cave of antiques.

It has taken the auctioneers several weeks to catalogue its contents.

One of the most important items in the collection is the Ternan breakfast service which could fetch between £40,000 and £50,000.

It dates from the 1880s and depicts Irish landscapes by local artist Eugene Sheerin.

Mr Simpson said the sale was an opportunity for someone to acquire a piece of Belleek of museum quality, perhaps at a bargain price.

"It would be my wish to keep it in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. But if the museums can't get their act together quickly enough to take advantage of a unique opportunity, then there's very little that can be done," he said.

"When it comes to the preservation and recognition of one's heritage, I think that people need to learn to dip into their pockets and be able to spend money rapidly or make decisions rapidly, rather than faff around."

Fergus Cleary, head of design at Belleek pottery, was captivated by the collection.

One of the items that caught his eye was a large table centrepiece, thought to date back to the first 10-15 years of production at the factory in the 1860s.

"I have never seen the piece before in my life, I've only seen the moulds of it," he said.

"We still have the moulds of this piece in the factory.

"Museums should be interested in acquiring these pieces and I'm sure our own Belleek pottery museum will be very interested in at least trying to buy some of these pieces."

The auction is due to take place at the McIlroy home in Lisnarick on Saturday afternoon.

No matter who buys the Belleek, it is unlikely that this fascinating collection will ever be seen in its entirety again in one place... just a few miles from where the craftsmen worked their magic.