Almost €20k raised to bring Rory Gallagher’s iconic guitar back to his hometown
It’s a tall order, that’s for sure.
But a local campaign to bring Rory Gallagher’s iconic 1961 Fender Stratocaster guitar back to Cork is gathering steam, raising almost €20,000 in just a few days.
The guitar, which the late rock star bought on credit in Crowley’s in 1963, is set to be auctioned off to the highest bidder at Bonhams in London this October. It’s expected to fetch in excess of €1.2m and will be sold as part of The Rory Gallagher Collection, which consists of nearly 150 items including an exceptional selection of guitars, amps and accessories from Rory Gallagher’s life and career, all offered directly from the Gallagher family.
‘We should preserve it like a national treasure.’
Sheena Crowley, whose dad Michael ran Crowley’s Music Shop in Cork and sold Rory the guitar 60 years ago, is determined the instrument should be returned to Leeside to become the centrepiece of a new music heritage museum.
“The main attraction would be a dedicated Rory Gallagher section with an interactive theme to it.” Crowley explained in her GoFundMe post, which is attracting plenty of support locally.
“On one Facebook page alone he has almost 500,000 fans but there are lots more absolutely dedicated fans who would travel across the world to see it. Fans from as far as Japan, Iceland, Germany, and so on would want the guitar to remain in Cork!
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“Music is our culture. We should preserve it like a national treasure. A modern-day Book of Kells if you will. We need a space that preserves and honours the musicians of the past and provides for our musicians of today and fosters the musicians of the future. Rory was someone who pushed the boundaries even at a time when ‘Rock n Roll’ was considered to be the devil’s music! He gigged in places that were being bombed. He dedicated his entire life to it. We must do this for him because we got so much from him, but we must also do it for our heritage.”
While another campaign is underway to bring the famous guitar to the Irish Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum in Dublin, Crowley is determined that the axe should be displayed in Cork as a tribute to Rory, who died aged just 47 in June of 1995.
“If 20,000 of us pledge €50, or if 5000 pledge €200 we will meet the target,” added Crowley.
“We can approach the Department of Heritage, the City Council, and wealthy benefactors to match the €1000,000. If we don’t make it to the target all pledges will be refunded automatically. I think this is a Cork thing but we welcome support from everyone from Cork to Donegal and beyond!”
More than 400 fans have already donated, including a donation of €1,000 from Live Nation Ireland.
You can check out the campaign and donate here.
