The Kildare Hotel and Country Club at Straffan, County Kildare, more commonly known as the K Club, will be the location for a weekend of collectibles and, for many, unobtainables, when Hibernian Antique Fairs, in association with Charles Hurst Motors and Laurent Perrier Champagne, will host its most prestigious exposition to date. The event, which will run from Saturday, October 27 to Monday, October 29, will feature artists from galleries such as the Solomon Gallery, the Leinster Gallery and Ib Jorgensen Fine Art, as well as antiques from the finest dealerships of Dublin and beyond. But with the old comes something new - and a major attraction will be the range of cars from Charles Hurst Motors, including Ferrari, Maserati and Bentley.

"Antique fairs tend to attract a mature audience, so we often miss out on the younger individuals who might be interested, " says Robin O'Donnell, founder and CEO of Hibernian Antique Fairs. "But we felt that by including these prestigious cars, some of which are there to be driven, we have found the perfect way to attract this younger crowd."

Hibernian Antique Fairs has been successfully hosting fairs throughout the island of Ireland for almost 20 years, although such is the anticipated interest in what has become known as "The K Club Antique, Fine Art and Modern Prestige Car Showcase" that O'Donnell considered making the event invite-only. But, of course, that might exclude genuinely interested people whose names might, for whatever reason, have been omitted from the lists.

Indeed, what is most important for this particular event is the quality of the offerings . . . as exemplified by the partnership not only with Charles Hurst Motors, but also with Laurent Perrier.

"It's all about quality, not quantity, " explains O'Donnell. "We are only showcasing about 20 dealers, all of whom are bringing top-end works, whether that is in art or antiques. You will find everything from a Jack B Yeats to a Graham Knuttel, as well as some really highend antiques. Not to mention the cars."

While the younger Irish buyers are comfortable with the notion of investing in Irish artworks, O'Donnell feels that, by coming into contact with quality antiques, they may well find themselves looking towards furnishing their homes with something older.

"With younger people, convenience is everything, " he says. "If they are going to buy a piece of furniture, it has to fit exactly into a corner, and they need it to be clean as a whistle, in mint condition. But, if they are on to their second or third homes, they will look more at antiques . . . and top-end pieces are really offering value for money. If you buy a new piece in a high-end store, the chances are that it will have 100 brothers and sisters around Ireland. But if you buy an antique, the chances of seeing anything else like it are very slim. And you could be paying less for it than you would pay in an expensive furniture shop."

Admission to the event will be by invitation with a limited number of tickets available to the public at a cost of /25 per person.

Bookings can be made by calling 01 677 4847