'It belongs here': Rory Gallagher's guitar shouldn't leave Ireland
Peter Aiken in The Oliver Plunkett on Monday during a press conference to announce to announce details of a unique celebration of Rory Gallagher as part of next years Live at their Marquee line up. Picture Chani Anderson
Rory Gallagher’s guitar belongs in Ireland and should never leave here, the US rock guitarist leading a pair of Cork tribute concerts to the Irish blues hero next year has said.
New York-born bluesman Joe Bonamassa is to head a two-night tribute to the late Leeside legend next July as part of the Live at the Marquee series.
Rory Gallagher, who was arguably Ireland’s first rock star, was born in Ballyshannon in 1948, and he moved to Cork with his mother Monica and his younger brother Donal in 1956.
Rory ed away in 1995 at the age of 47, three decades into a career that saw release 14 solo albums and become one of the world’s most influential musicians.
Rory’s 1961 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster guitar is due to go for auction in London in October, and is expected to sell for as much as £1 million (€1.19m).
A GoFundMe campaign, started by Sheena Crowley of Crowley’s Music Centre, whose father Michael sold the Fender Strat to Rory in 1963 for £100, has already received pledges worth over €64,000.
Promoter Peter Aiken described the tribute gigs as “a labour of love” for all concerned, in what will be the 30th anniversary of Rory Gallagher’s death.
Mr Bonamassa, a blues guitarist who opened for BB King at the age of 12, is one of the world’s leading guitar collectors, and owns over 700 vintage instruments.
He told that he did not want to buy Rory Gallagher’s Strat, as he felt it belonged in Ireland and “should never leave”.
“It’s going to take someone with a lot of money to buy it, and hopefully that’ll be someone who will let it stay here in Ireland.”
Asked whether he might chip in to the fundraiser to buy the guitar, he asked: “Who is to say I didn’t already?” He added that he had donated “a couple thousand” euro to the fund.
Rory Gallagher Celebration starring Joe Bonamassa will play Live at the Marquee on July 1 and 2. Tickets go on sale this Friday.
It was announced today that Joe Bonamassa and band will play two nights next July at the Marquee Cork as a special celebration of the legendary Rory Gallagher.
Joe Bonamassa has sold over 10 million records, earned 27 #1 Billboard Blues albums and counting, and to date has received three Grammy Award Nominations and 13 Blues Music Award Nominations.
In the years that have ed since Rory Gallagher’s death, aged 47 on June 14 1995, his true stature has become ever more clear.
Rory performed over 2,000 concerts throughout his illustrious music career but the emotive connection he made with audiences across the globe was greater than statistics could show.
Rory’s influence spread through the generations – from Slash to Johnny Marr, from U2’s The Edge to Queen’s Brian May, and onto The Manics’ James Dean Bradfield – any aspiring player who encountered him was bound to be energised or transformed.
Tickets for Joe Bonamassa plays Rory Gallagher, Live at the Marquee Cork on July 1 and 2 2025, go on sale on Friday October 4 at 10am from Ticketmaster.
This is the first gig announcement for Live at the Marquee Cork 2025.
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