Antiquarian books which belonged to the late Caitlin Ni Mada dain (Kathleen or Claire Madden) have been sold for £13,400 sterling at Bloomsbury Book Auctions in London. Ms Madadain, who died last year aged 93, was born in Ireland but lived in London. A nationalist, feminist, writer and scholar, she was active in numerous radical causes and her friends included Bertrand and Dora Russell, George Bernard Shaw and Vera Brittain. A Gaelic scholar, she amassed an extensive library, part of which has been donated to the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. Thirty-seven lots were sent for auction in London.
Celtic Researches on the Origin, Traditions and Language of the Ancient Britons by Edward Davies (1804) and other volumes made £2,070 (estimates £150 to £200). Memorandums made in Ireland in the Autumn of 1852 by John Forbes fetched £690 (£150-£200). Rupert Powell, a director of the saleroom, said yesterday: "It was a good collection of specialist books which aroused a lot of competition from buyers. There was a three-way telephone bidding battle for the Davies."