City woman restores old desk to win Late Late Show antiques slot

There’s something very satisfying about repairing something old and broken and making it as good as new – at least, Galway city native Regina Pinel certainly thinks so!

The 45-year-old grandmother from Ballybane is still basking in the glory after recently winning the Late Late Show Antiques Challenge for her beautiful restoration of a portable writing desk – called a slope – from the 1840s.

She spent eight weeks restoring the Victorian piece, which is made from an extinct type of variegated ebony called coromandel.

The intricate slope has brass and leather fittings as well as numerous drawers and sections—including one secret compartment.

“I travelled up and down Ireland,” Regina says proudly of the work. “[The show’s] Niall Mullen said I had at least 50 elements to get right, and I did.”

Regina, a home care worker and personal assistant, bought the slope for €70 in Westmeath in a “very dilapidated” condition.

She worked with Galway Furniture Restoration’s Maurice Walsh and Kenny’s Bindery as well as local craftsmen from Rynn Engineering and Colleran’s Locksmiths to get the desk fit for the end of the competition on May 12.

Over one and a half million people watched as she unveiled the piece. “It was a wonderful achievement,” she says.

Restoring antiques is a passion for Regina, who is particularly fond of upholstery work. She hopes one day to turn her hobby into something more lucrative.

But as for the desk, she hasn’t decided what to do with it yet. “I’m just coming down from all the excitement,” she says, “and then we’ll see.”