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Most significant Irish history document from the Easter Rising to leave Ireland after failing to sell at auction

The handwritten letter by Pádraig Pearse three days before his execution. (Picture: Adam's Auctioneers)

THE surrender letter written by Pádraig Pearse three days before his execution is set to leave Ireland after failing to sell at an auction in Dublin.

The final order of surrender did not meet its reserve price of €1million last night, December 7, with bids reaching €770,000 before being withdrawn.

If the letter had sold, it would have been the most expensive work of art or historical item ever sold at auction in Ireland.

circa 1916: Patrick Henry Pearse (1879 - 1916), the Irish writer, educator and nationalist politician who joined the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood), directed the Easter Rising in April 1916 and became the first president of the Provisional Irish Republic. When he surrendered to the British in the same month, he was arrested, court-martialled and shot. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Pádraig Pearse's surrender letter failed to sell at auction last night. (Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Adam’s Auctioneers, who had described the letter as “the most significant Irish document to be offered for sale” earlier this week, said the oversees owner of the letter was disappointed the Irish Government did not bid.

Stuart Cole, a Director at Adam’s, said: “On this occasion, the reserve was not met.

"The owner, based overseas, has requested that Adam’s apply for an export licence today to formally notify the Government that the document will be leaving Ireland and for the process to be expedited.

"The owner was saddened that the Government refused to bid for the document but now feels relieved of his obligations to keep the document in Ireland."

Speaking at a commemoration to Irish First World War servicemen last month, Arts Minister Heather Humphreys said that the Irish Government would not be bidding on the historic item.

According to a report by the Irish Independent she said: “The cost mentioned was between €1m and €1.5m so there were other pressures that we felt we had to meet."

“There were a number of such letters of a similar type. We felt that to spent €1m or €1.5m on one single letter would be rather a lot.”

The letter, which was hand-delivered to Captain Garry Holohan by Father Columbus just prior to the end of the Rising, has been in the hands of a private collector since 2005.

Captain Holohan, who was in charge of the Four Courts command, ceased hostilities and surrendered after reading the document.

The order reads: “In order to prevent further slaughter of the civil population and in the hope of saving the lives of our followers, the members of the Provisional Government present at Headquarters have decided on an unconditional surrender, and Commandants or Officers commanding districts will order their commands to lay down arms.

The letter is signed: “P.H. Pearse, Dublin, 30th April 1916.”

The National Museum of Ireland already holds two other letters written by Pearse to different garrisons in Dublin telling them to lay down their arms.

London’s Imperial War Museum houses the official surrender document which brought an end to the Rising at large, which was typed by the British and signed by Pearse on April 29, 1916.

See More: Auction, Easter Rising, Featured, Irish, Padraig Pearse