“He deserves to be honoured in his home city”: Belfast plans to erect Gary Moore statue
Belfast is making a point of honouring its greatest guitarists. Earlier this month, the city unveiled a statue of the legendary Rory Gallagher – and plans are now in place to erect a statue of former Skid Row and Thin Lizzy guitarist and blues legend Gary Moore.
The news has been shared by Belfast’s Green Party councillor, Brian Smyth. “Belfast City Council agreed to my proposal to carry out a land check of sites in the Cathedral Quarter for a potential Gary Moore statue,” he writes on Instagram. “As a proud son of our city and East Belfast, he blazed a trail and has left a lasting legacy for rock and blues fans across the world.”
READ MORE: “I so confidently assumed it was Weird Al”: Fans aren’t happy with new Rory Gallagher statue in Belfast
“Gary was one of the greatest ever guitarists and deserves to be honoured in his home city,” he continues. “We have never been great at celebrating our people who have achieved great success. It’s time to change that in relation to Gary Moore and tell his story for future generations of aspiring musicians in Belfast.”
The statue will have to be privately funded, however. Smyth is working with the Wild Frontier Memorial Project to hopefully raise €80,000 for the statue.
Smyth also noted the need for private funding at the January meeting of the council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee. As The Irish News reports, Smyth noted that Moore was “probably the greatest guitarist to come out of Belfast.”
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A post shared by Brian Smyth (@briansmythgpni)
“[The statue will] celebrate Moore’s contribution to blues and rock,” Smyth explained to the council. “[It] inspire future generations of musicians, encourage tourism into Gary’s native city, and celebrate one of Belfast’s most remarkable talents, who is admired around the world.”
Earlier this month, Gallagher’s statue was unveiled beside the Ulster Hall on Bedford Street. Fans weren’t too impressed by it, however.
“A statue of Irish rock and blues legend Rory Gallagher has been unveiled at Belfast’s Ulster Hall.It is located outside the venue on Bedford Street where Gallagher played regularly throughout the Troubles in Northern Ireland.”https://t.co/rm2NWTBYCf pic.twitter.com/XBk9xjRJFw
— Rory Gallagher (@rorygallagher) January 4, 2025
One user on Instagram compared the statue’s appearance to comedic actor “Weird Al” Yankovic. Elsewhere, others have criticised the choice to have Gallagher using a Tele when he famously loved a Fender Strat.
If you’re keen to support Gary Moore’s statue, you can donate to the Gary Moore Statue for Belfast campaign.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
