Gossip columnist Terry Keane netted £35,000 from an auction of memorabilia in Dublin yesterday which included two works of art associated with the period when she had an affair with former Taoiseach Mr Charles Haughey.
Most interest centred around a bronze bust of Ms Keane by the late Gary Trimble which was bought by an anonymous private collector for £5,200, and an oil portrait of Mr Haughey by Roderic O'Connor which went under the hammer for £2,600.
The portrait was bought by Ian and Siun McDonald from Loughrea, Co Galway, for the Augusta Gallery in Loughrea which is to open in November.
"We bought it because we felt it might get us some publicity for our new venture," Mr McDonald said.
He believes the piece was very good value and is uncertain yet whether it will remain on display in their gallery or be sold on.
The auction rooms of James Adam and Sons on St Stephen's Green were packed for the event. Lots of people just turned up for a look, said Mr James O'Halloran, the auctioneer's managing director.
However, there was no sign of Ms Keane, who was believed to be holidaying abroad.
She put a total of 13 pieces of artwork up for auction. Among the other items sold to private collectors were a painting of a blackbird on a plate by Edward Maguire (£6,000), a Camille Souter painting entitled The Young Bathers (£10,500), a Louis Le Brocquy watercolour entitled In Kerry (£3,500) and a Mick Mulcahy painting entitled Hat (£2,000).
The highest price achieved at the auction was £47,000 for a Jack Yeats piece entitled Through the Streets to the Hills.
This was not part of Ms Keane's collection.