Irish flag from 1916 Easter Rising sells for £415,000

THE Irish tricolour used in the 1916 Easter Rising was sold yesterday to an anonymous bidder for 600,000 (£415,000).

The linen flag was believed to have flown over the General Post Office in Dublin and was captured by a British Army sergeant after the Rising, before ending up in the hands of a wealthy Catholic family.

It was withdrawn from auction in Dublin on Wednesday after only attracting bids of 560,000. But yesterday the auctioneers James Adam & Sons and Mealy's said they had accepted an offer of 600,000 from an anonymous bidder. They confirmed the 1916 flag would be staying in Ireland.

The sale of 480 items of immense historical and political significance at Adam's auction house in Dublin yesterday was held to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising this weekend.

Sinn Fein criticised the sale of such items, and two members of its youth wing were arrested for causing a disturbance at the auction.

The auction raised 3.5 million in total, with the most high-profile item, the first draft of Ireland's National Anthem, selling for 760,000.