A LIGHTER bought by Che Guevara in Shannon Airport is among the historical memorabilia to form part of an online auction this month.
Guevara’s lucky Irish lighter which was purchased in 1965 has a guide price of €2,300 at Gormleys Signature Sale which brings together key figures from Irish and international history, as well as items from pop culture and runs online until November 14th.
When the flight he was travelling on from Prague to Havana diverted to Shannon with engine trouble, Che bought the lighter in the duty-free store and later called it his lucky Irish lighter.
He used the lighter until after his unsuccessful rebellion campaign in the Congo in 1966, at which point he gave it to Fidel Castro’s mistress, Natty Revuelta Clews, telling her it was not so lucky.
This lighter will be auctioned alongside a remarkable array of items, which includes the Bible Michael Collins had with him when he was assassinated, a newly discovered copy of Wolfe Tone’s speech from the dock and Phil Lynott’s bass guitar.
Guide prices for Collins’ Bible are between €21,000 and €25,000, the original of Theobald Wolfe Tone’s speech from the dock during his trial for treason in 1798 has an estimated value of €23,000 to €29,000. A rare first edition of Ulysses is also featured in the auction, with a guide price of €25,000-€29,000.
Among the modern auction items is Phil Lynott’s bass guitar from the Chinatown album era which has a guide price of between €17,000 and €23,000. Viewings will take place at Gormleys, Dublin from November 2-5, and at Gormleys, Belfast, from November 9-11.
Considered one of the major figures of the Cuban Revolution, Guevera has further links to Co Clare, he visited the Marine Hotel in Kilkee in the summer of 1962, on a stopover between Moscow and Cuba.
Two of Guevara’s notable 18th century ancestors included Luis María Peralta, a prominent Spanish landowner in colonial California, and Patrick Lynch, who emigrated from Ireland to the Río de la Plata Governorate.
