50 cent purchase in Irish charity shop turns out to be incredibly rare find

When Keith Ó Riain went to a Limerick charity shop to buy some new books, he probably didn't expect to make a rare discovery.

Even less, did he expect to pay just 50 cent for it..

But that's exactly what happened after the local man uncovered a copy of Bunreacht na hÉireann, hand-signed by the country's founding father Éamon de Valera.

Keith, who is a PhD student at Mary Immaculate College, has contacted local historians to check the veracity of the signature, but is confident that it is indeed the former President's handwriting.

Bought in a charity shop in #Limerick for 50c. Can anyone confirm that it’s Dev’s signature? pic.twitter.com/M4WQQJN8aI

— Dr Paul O'Brien (@FearStairLmk) March 9, 2022

Taking up the story, he said: "Inbetween lectures, I used to go into the city to get books, and I went into St Vincent de Paul just to look at the books. I'd usually pick up three books a week for a few euro. This time, I bought a copy of the constitution. It was only when I brought it home did I realise that it was signed by Éamon de Valera. Having studied history, I'd have a lot of interest."

He met Mary Immaculate College academic Dr Paul O'Brien this week, and showed the discovery to him.

"He being a 19th century historian, I thought I'd ask him to try and verify it. He said he'd put it up on Twitter, and from what he was able to see from replies, it does appear to be legitimate and compatible," Keith explained.

Asked his reaction, Keith said: "You'd wonder why someone would give it to a charity shop. My initial thought was wondering whether it was legitimate. My initial reaction was one of disbelief, shock and not crediting that it could be a legitimate signature. Then I was just curious when I was meeting Paul to see if we could verify it."

Despite its potential value, the scholar says he plans to keep the book.

"I have an interest in history, I have studied history. My current research is 18th century Irish literature, so it's still linked to history. So I'd say I'd keep it myself and treasure it," he added.