BT/0455

Royal art brings in £53,000 for bomb victims
By Michael Devine in Dublin

PRINCE Charles was warmly applauded at the National Concert Hall in Dublin last night after he raised an astonishing IR£53,000 for Omagh Hospital.
The reception didn't quite match the rapturous applause which greeted singer Charlie Landsborough who was performing in the main auditorium of the building.
But then, His Royal Highness was not there in person. He was represented by a signed lithograph of one of his paintings of Windsor Castle, bought by Ulster woman Agnes McCourt.
The packed audience of bidders was deeply appreciative of the Prince's donation, which was the piece de resistance at an art auction to raise funds for specialist equipment for the treatment of bomb victims at Omagh Hospital.
The lithograph, bearing the prince's coat of arms, came on the market after more than two hours of hectic bidding for the other 247 lots on the catalogue, which had been contributed by a wide Cross-section of Irish-based artists.
Bidding started at IR£2,000 and quickly jumped by sums of IR£200, then £500 as keen rivalry developed by those present and a mystery bidder on the telephone.
By the time the bidding hit IR£50,000, the room was hushed and there were only two contenders left.
The hammer came down finally at the amazing sum of IR£53,000. Then the applause broke out.
The successful bidder, a dark-haired woman wearing glasses, was surrounded by media personnel. But she insisted she did not want any publicity and would not identify herself beyond saying that she was from Northern Ireland.
After persistent pressure, she disclosed her identity. I'm Agnes McCourt, founder and managing director of Unislim Clubs, with a head office in Newry.
"I bought the Prince's painting because I was so moved by what happened in Omagh.
"A very good friend of my mother-in-law was killed in the bombing. Also, we do a lot of business in Omagh and any of my girls could have been killed."
Mrs McCourt, a mother of three children and a widow for 13 years, said she had come straight to the art auction from playing golf in the plush K Club in Co Kildare.
"I had no intention of coming here, only my friend mentioned it to me," she said. "I'm going to hand the painting in to our office in Newry."
She added: "I have to write a cheque now and I hope it's alright. I'll have to talk to my bank manager tomorrow.'
One of the organisers of the auction, accountant Fergus Ahern was astounded and delighted at the price the Prince's work fetched.
"The reserve was IR3,000 and we would have been delighted if we got between IR£5,000 and IR£10,000.
"With the price we got, Prince Charles should be proud of himself. He responded immediately when we asked him to donate something."
Mrs McCourt was given a hug of gratitude after the sale by Sister Sarah Fisher from Omagh Hospital's intensive care unit.
Shirt-sleeved auctioneer John De Vere White got the night's proceedings underway by encouraging the audience to bid quickly and generously for all the works.
He told them that the artists had deliberately put low reserves on their works.
To encourage them to dig deep into their pockets he invited them to avail of the free Guinness and wine which had been laid on by the famous Dublin brewery and a number of wine distributors.
They quickly entered into the spirit of the occasion. The first lot, a small aquatint, attracted an opening bid of IR£100 and within five seconds it had been sold for IR£180.
The money poured in as bidders waved their numbered bats enthusiastically and by the end of the night Omagh Hospital had benefited by more than IR£150,000.