An auction to fund a St Patrick's Day carnival in Belfast has raised almost £28,000. Historical and cultural items were sold at the event on Saturday.
A painting of IRA member Mairead Farrell, who was shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in 1987, raised £2,450. A pipe donated by Sinn Fein president Mr Gerry Adams was sold for £1,750.
A corporate box at Belfast's Odyssey Arena for a Westlife concert on St Patrick's Day went for £1,250. A guitar owned by former IRA prisoner Bic McFarland raised £2,450.
First-edition copies of several Brian Friel plays sold for £950. A copy of the Downing Street Declaration, signed by the former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, raised £900.
A Christy Moore manuscript of The Time Has Come, a song about the hunger-strike, went for £620. Original art work on toilet roll, depicting the hunger-strikers' experiences, was sold for £600. A framed election poster of Nelson Mandela raised £450.
A photograph of the North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, went for £260. A sponsored abseil off the Europa Hotel raised £5,500. Among those who took part was Sinn Fein Assembly member Mr Gerry Kelly.
The chairwoman of the carnival committee, Ms Catriona Ruane, said the auction had been a huge success. "The event really caught the imagination of people. The people of Ireland have again come out and ensured that the St Patrick's Day Carnival will again fill Belfast with colour, excitement and carnival creation.