Sheppard's Irish Auction House
Durrow, Co. Laois · One of Ireland's leading auction houses
As one of Ireland’s leading auction houses, Sheppard’s are specialists in Chinese ceramics and works of art, historical documents, and period pieces of high quality furniture, especially Irish.
Sheppard’s equally enjoys a reputation for artworks ranging from early eighteenth-century portraits to contemporary paintings.
Read about our country-house sales, notable results and team below.
Clients include leading Irish, American, British and Chinese collectors, and national institutions such as the National Library of Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland.
The Legacy of the Big House
Sheppard’s is known for its country-house sales, presenting important collections of Irish and European art, furniture and decorative objects — 18th-century Irish furniture, paintings, silver, porcelain, tapestries, clocks, scientific instruments and sculpture — reflecting the character and individuality of the traditional country-house interior. Its annual Legacy of the Big House series has included sales at Coolattin House, Co. Wicklow, and the contents of Capard House, and in 2024 a television series following Sheppard’s country house auction premiered on More4.
Notable sales
- A Chinese vase valued at €800 that sold for €1.2 million (2020).
- A pair of Chinese famille rose peach bowls sold for €100,000 (2019).
- Chinese vases that fetched a record €560,000 at a Laois auction (2015).
- A tiny jade seal that made €260,000 at Sheppard’s first Dublin auction of Chinese art and paintings (2015).
- The Dromoland diamonds, a map of the Abbeyleix manor that reappeared after 200 years, and private letters revealing Princess Diana’s friendship with an Irish nun.
The team
Sheppard’s auctions are conducted by auctioneer David Sheppard MIPAV, with Michelle Brophy as auctions co-ordinator. Sheppard’s is licensed by the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA No. 003183).
Visit us
Sheppard’s Irish Auction House, The Square, Durrow, Co. Laois, R32 FN88. Office hours are 09:00–17:00 on weekdays (lunch 13:00–14:00). Telephone +353 (0)57 874 0000, mobile +353 (0)86 805 0639, or email info@sheppards.ie.