Personal items donated by politicians North and South are to go under the hammer next month to raise money for the fourth St Patrick's Day carnival in Belfast, writes Roisin Ingle.
According to Ms Caitriona Ruane, chairwoman of the St Patrick's Carnival committee, a minimum of £40,000 is needed to stage the festival following a decision by Belfast City Council to withdraw funding two years ago on the grounds that the event was not inclusive.
The auction is expected to raise about £10,000.
The Irish Times has donated a framed front page from the day of the first IRA ceasefire in 1994 while the News Letter has given a framed copy of the newspaper on the day it announced details of the Belfast Agreement in 1998.
Tickets for the auction on February 10th are £10 and include a four-course dinner in the Devenish complex, Belfast.