Listen Live

Collins' hair pulled from auction

Friday, 20 April 2012 09:56

A lock of Michael Collin's hair, which had been due to go for for auction yesterday, was instead withdrawn and will instead be donated to a museum. The hair, which was taken from his dead body, was due to be auctioned at Adam's auction house on Stephen’s Green. Instead, the owners of the hair changed their mind about putting the hair up for auction. The hair of the Cork man will now be donated to the National Museum of Ireland. The change of heart came about when Collin's grandnieces announced how shocked and appalled they were about the sale of their granduncle's hair. The owners of the hair are said to be donating the hair to the National Museum of Ireland after the family of Michael Collins offered to buy the hair. The lock of hair was expected to sell at auction for approximately €5,000. However, the cotton swab which was used to clean the military leader's face after he was killed in 1922, is still selling in a seperate auction. The auction will take place on Wednesday 25 April in Dublin. The swab was taken by nurse Nessie Rogan from St Vincent's hospital where she worked. It has been passed down through her family since. The swab is expected to sell at a cost of up to €600. Former Irish MEP Mary Banotti, Collins' grandniece, was speaking on RTÉradio's Morning Ireland programme on Tuesday. "I have spoken to several members of the family and they are universally upset," she said. "I'm fully aware that taking locks of hair was part of the culture for many years, but not selling it for a huge price in an auction, that's really where I feel it shows a certain amount of disrespect and insensitivity. Whoever's selling the swab, I think it's really appalling, in my opinion," she said. Collins' other grandniece, former Fine Gael TD, Nora Owen, has also spoken out against the sale of the hair asking the vendors to "think again" and to wake up.

Share

More from Cork