A handwritten letter by Pádraig Pearse remains unsold after a public auction.

The final order of surrender by the 1916 leader failed to reach its reserve.

Bidding reached €770,000 before being withdrawn.

It had been estimated that it would fetch between €1m and 1.5m.

Adams Auctioneers' director Stuart Cole says the owner has requested the Government be notified that the document will now be leaving Ireland.

The document had been on display at the GPO's Witness History Exhibition in Dublin.

In 2005 the document was offered to the National Library for €50,000 but it was only willing to pay €10,000.

The letter went on to fetch €800,000 at auction - it was bought by an anonymous individual.

It was confirmed last month that the State would not be considering a bid.

The official typed republican surrender is owned by the Imperial War Museum in London - it is also signed by Mr Pearse.

The letter 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. PH Pearse, Dublin, 30th April 1916."

 

*Correction: This article originally incorrectly stated that the handwritten document was housed at the Imperial War Museum in London. It has been updated to reflect that it is the official typed copy that is stored at the museum.