Ballyshannon guitar hero Rory Gallagher’s iconic 1961 Fender Stratocaster will go on public display at the National Museum of Ireland for the first time after its sale.
The guitar, which sold for more than €1m at auction last year, will be part of a Changing Ireland legacy project at Collins Barracks in Dublin in September.
Newly expanded galleries are set to host a varied range of everyday, artistic, institutional, political and military objects, including Rory Gallagher’s beloved Sunburst Fender Stratocaster.
The guitar was purchased by Live Nation Gaiety Ltd last October with a view to donation to the National Museum.
The guitar and other artefacts of Gallagher’s career had been carefully preserved by Dónal Gallagher, Rory’s brother and former manager, and the Gallagher family since his passing in 1995.
Last year they announced the difficult decision to put Rory’s guitar and other effects up for auction to have his legacy enjoyed by others.
Rory Gallagher originally bought his beloved guitar for £100 on credit from the owner of Crowley’s Music Store in Cork, Ireland in 1963. According to legend, it may have been the first Stratocaster to ever reach Ireland.
It became synonymous with Gallagher and its wear and worn finish have made it one of the world’s most iconic electric guitars. It has featured in a number of landmark exhibitions, appeared on the cover of countless guitar magazines, and has been played by the likes of Johnny Marr and Joe Bonamassa. Since 2004, Fender has created and sold replica models of the guitar as part of their artist signature series.
