Three items relating to the War of Independence period go on sale at Sotheby's auction rooms in London's Bond Street, tomorrow.
One is a carbon-copy of a typed address signed by Michael Collins and addressed to "the electors of Armagh". It is dated May 4th, 1921, and concerned his candidacy for Armagh "in the elections for the 'Northern' Parliament".
The second is a file of carbon-copied memorandums described as "views of the man in the street", which were written on an almost daily basis by someone described as "a civil servant" and circulated to Collins, Arthur Griffith, Eoin O'Duffy, Kevin O'Higgins, William Cosgrave, Desmond FitzGerald and Erskine Childers between September 12th, 1921, and January 25th, 1922. It is 35 pages long.
The third item is a 10-page mimeographed typescript of a report to the "Irish Race Conference in Paris, January 1922."
The three items were brought to Sotheby's by an Irish national who said he had bought them at a junk sale in the UK over 20 years ago, said Dr Peter Beal of Sotheby's yesterday. He said it was hoped the items would raise between £8,000 and £10,000 sterling at the auction.
He expected lot 149, incorporating the three items, to come up for sale at about midday. To date there had been just one inquiry concerning the lot, though considerable interest had been evident among people attending the showrooms in recent days, he said.
In his address to the electors of Armagh Michael Collins said that, "in common with all other Republican candidates in this Election, I go forward not as an individual seeking any distinction, but as the exponent of a National principle. We go forward not accepting the Partition of Ireland Act, but rejecting it . . . Ireland free as a Sovereign Entity or Ireland divided, with a minority of her population petted and pampered by the English . . . are the alternatives today . . . Ireland has room for all her people."
Collins represented Armagh and Cork in the Second Dáil which was elected in May 1921.
The "man in the street" item includes the following observations: "The beautiful optimism generated by the Truce continues and the latest note from Lloyd George leaves the populace unruffled. Heard several plain men still 'believing' stoutly today that there can never be a return to hostilities and that little rifts are 'only to be expected in the circumstances'.
"Opinion on the question of refusing the offers to the point of resistance by force is very wobbly, and the people are not with Al Dail (sic) on this point.
"Churchill got away with his speech on Sunday and he succeeded in leaving the impression that the great big Province of 'Ulster' still blocked the way to a Republic. He said there would be civil war between 'North and South' and that England would have to step in to protect the loyal Province!"
The third item is taken up with definitions of the characteristics of the Irish "race".