“Rory’s guitar is coming home to Ireland”: Rory Gallagher’s 1961 Fender Stratocaster sells for over $1 million at auction
Rory Gallagher’s 1962 Fender Stratocaster — an instrument very nearly as legendary as the man himself — has been sold for £889,400, or approximately $1.16 million, at a recent auction.
The guitar, one that auction house Bonham described as “one of the world’s most recognisable”, was one of numerous items from the Irish musician’s gear collection to be auctioned by the Gallagher estate on Thursday.
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The Strat has been purchased by Live Nation Gaiety Ltd with a view of donating it to the National Museum of Ireland. Plans for donation to the NMI follow prior contacts and discussions between the department, the museum and the purchaser.
Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media expressed her appreciation of the “special effort made to ensure the guitar will return to Ireland on a permanent basis”.
The purchase agreement ensures the instrument will now be preserved in the ownership of the state, and made available for viewing by Gallagher’s fans around the world.
“I am absolutely delighted that Rory’s guitar is coming home to Ireland,” Martin said. “I look forward to hearing more of the museum’s plans to showcase the famous Strat, which I understand will include Cork, where the legendary musician grew up.”
Image: Bonhams
Rory’s brother and former manager Dónal Gallagher added: “It has been nearly 30 years since my brother’s passing, and though it was a difficult decision to part with this collection, I am grateful that these treasured instruments can now tour the globe as Rory did, spreading his music and memory.”
Dónal previously spoke of the difficulties of holding the collection, saying: “You can’t just hang the Strat up over your fireplace, so it’s not an object for the family to enjoy.”
Gallagher, often hailed as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, purchased the Fender Strat for £100 in 1963, from Crowley’s Music Store in Cork, Ireland. The guitar is reportedly the very first Strat to arrive in Ireland, its iconic well-worn appearance the result of heavy use throughout the virtuoso’s career.
Other highlights of the auction include Gallagher’s “Backup Strat”, a 1958 Fender Stratocaster, which sold for £127,400, a 1968 Martin D-35 flat top acoustic that sold for £102,000, and a National Triolian Resonator guitar from the 30s that fetched over £95,000.
Image: Bonhams
A total of £2.3 million was made from the sale.
View the full collection at Bonhams.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
