Hundreds of antique clocks on offer at Ireland's first clock auction in Waterford next week

Ireland’s first-ever clock auction is set to take place in the home of the Irish Museum of Time, at RJ Keighery Antiques in Waterford City next week. 

Over 380 clocks will go on auction, including some 31 longcase clocks more commonly known as ‘Grandfather Clock’, plus 270 wall and mantel clocks and pocket watches. 

The collection was created as a lifelong passion by the late owner who resided and held his collection at his three-bedroom home in the mid-west. 

Speaking about the collection and upcoming auction, auctioneer Rody Keighery of RJ Keighery Antiques said: “When the family contacted us for us to consider hosting this auction, we were quite interested given that Waterford is the home to the Irish Museum of Time. 

“It's the perfect place to have a clock auction in the ‘Clock City’. We get a lot of footfall from the Irish Museum of Time, especially in the summer, so we have common ground.”

“What makes this auction interesting, is there are some very rare clocks and there are also some that are a lot more affordable and less rare. The late collector would have travelled the length and breadth of Ireland, collecting rare and interesting pieces for over 60 years,” he added. 

Rody says that his top six picks would be:

• Lot 10 Georgian Irish Francis Sperils, Dublin Long Case Grandfather Clock In Chippendale Style Case With Later Inlay Circa 1770. Estimate €800-1200. I have picked this one as it is has a very high quality case with marquetry detail which is quite rare to see.
• Lot 77 is a Companion Pair Of French Inlaid Walnut Clock + Barometer €300-€500. This is very unusual as a matching pair - a cloak and a barometer in the same style, I haven't seen anything like this before in my 55 years of antiques.
• Lot 242 is a James Mangan Cork Single Fusee Wall Clock.  €250-350. This is a lovely piece by a Cork maker of Irish interest.
• Lot 100 is a Georgian Irish Grandfather Clock By Thomas Cahill, Waterford.c1770 In Mahogany Cross Banded Case On Bracket Feet. €2,000- €3,000. This is late 1700 rare and by an Irish maker from Waterford, this is very rarely found on the open market.
• Lot 226 Late 19th Century French Slate Mantel Clock With Malachite Panels, Visible Escapement €300-€500. Malachite was often used by the French, it was mined in Victorian times and often shown as a sign of opulence offering great colour to a room.
• Lot 240 is a  Quality Antique Brass Mounted Triple Fusee Bracket Clock  On Brass Mounted Bracket €1,000- €1,500.  What is unusual here is the bracket is matching and the clock sits on this, this would have come from a very large period house in Ireland - you wouldn't usually find clocks with a matching bracket.

Commenting on interest in the auction, which is online and in-person, Thomas Keighery said: “There is a great interest in this particular auction, we can see a new cohort of bidders from all across the world. 

“We have bidders registered from the UK, France, and the USA  all across Europe. We have bidders from all across Ireland and we are expecting a full house next Monday in Waterford - home of the Irish Museum of Time.”

The Irish Museum of Time was opened in Waterford in June 2021 following the combination of two private collections of clocks from collectors David Boles and Colman Curran. It is Ireland’s only Horological Museum and features some of the oldest Irish longcase, table clocks and watches in the world. 

Set out over two floors in the beautiful Greyfriars Church the museum tells the fascinating story of 5,000 years of timekeeping history. 

The third annual International Festival of Time takes place in Waterford from May 23rd to 25th 2025, during which a new wing of the Irish Museum of Time will be officially opened with a new collection for visitors to explore.

The upcoming clock auction takes place from 10am on Monday, January 13 and the full catalogue can be viewed here.