Viewing begins tomorrow for de Veres art auction which auctioneer John de Vere White described as its “best sale in years”.

All eyes will be on the top lot,
The Ferry by Walter Frederick Osborne (€400,000-€600,000)
which depicts an English coastal scene at Rye in Sussex. But there are many views of Ireland in the sale including a Paul Henry "of exceptional quality" titled The Wind Blown Tree, Killary Harbour (€50,000-€70,000).

A 19th century painting reveals where Molly Malone (and other fishmongers) once got their cockles. Dublin Bay Cockle Pickers (€14,000- €18,000) is by Joseph Malachy Kavanagh (1856-1918) a Dublin painter whose studio along with many paintings was destroyed by fire during the Easter Rising in 1916.

According to art expert Prof Niamh O’Sullivan: “He was lucky to escape with his life from the burning building. He never fully recovered from the experience. As a result, although prolific, his works are rare.”

In A Wet Day, Cork (€20,000- €30,000), John Doherty captures the essence of small-town Ireland better than any other living artist.