Will anyone go higher? It's a tense moment. Will there be another bid? "Dispel all regrets for £50!" urges the auctioneer, Ian Mc- Carthy, of Sherry Fitzgerald. "Last chance . . . are you sure?" he asks the under-bidder. "The gavel is up." The paddles are down. We are packed into Bewley's Oriental Cafe on Westmoreland Street. "I'll close the bids on the downing of the gavel," he tells us. We sit on our hands. Going, going . . ."Sold," he says, pointing to the man at the back of the hall. Mary Ussher's colourful painting of a young Caribbean girl, entitled I'm After Matisse, is carried away and lot number 10, Telegraph Pole, by Edel Campbell, is brought in.
A special charity auction this week in Bewley's aimed to raise money for the National Council for the Blind and an eye operation for the artist, Polly Liu. Desmond Kenny, chief executive of the NCBI, urges us to "raise high and dip deeply for Polly". It will be a great night despite the fact that the Bewley's seats are "as uncomfortable as ever", he believes.
The artist herself, a Chinese woman who lives in Texas, is "overwhelmed" by the night. Liu is in need of corrective surgery to prevent further loss of her eyesight and a number of her own paintings are for sale. In the end, more than £31,000 is raised. Paddy Campbell, the former chairman of the Campbell Bewley Group and now full-time artist, came up with the idea of having an auction to raise money for his friend. His wife, Veronica Campbell, was the organiser. A painting by Clea van der Grijn, Angel Falls, is also on offer. So are works by Peter Pearson, Simon English and Leo Healy. Also enjoying the proceedings are husband and wife, Gus and Paula Dorrington, who have come along with their guide dog, Jodie.
Once the bidding starts, Paddy Kelly, the Dublin-based property developer from Protestant Lane, near Borris-in-Ossory in Co Laois, is ready with his cheque book. He and his wife, Maureen Kelly, want to buy a present for their daughter, the funky and fashionable Emma Kelly, who celebrates her birthday tomorrow. La shona duit, Inion Ui Cheallaigh.