Guitar belonging to Rory Gallagher sold for over €1million at auction

A Fender Stratocaster guitar belonging to the late legendary musician and songwriter Rory Gallagher will be donated to the National Museum of Ireland after being sold at auction.

The sale took place during an auction of Gallagher's guitar collection at Bonham's auction house in London this Thursday.

The hammer went down at £700,000 (around €841,000) but with a premium included, the final price comes to £889,400, or €1,068,624.

Following the sale at auction, 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 and be on exhibition for music enthusiasts and the general public in acknowledgement of a pioneering musician and iconic performer.

The guitar was purchased by Live Nation Gaiety Ltd with a view to donation to the National Museum of Ireland under Section 1003 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997.

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According to a statement from the Department of Culture, this followed "prior contacts and discussions between the Department, the NMI and the purchaser, ahead of the significant auction of the legendary guitarist’s instruments and items".

"The purchase agreement ensures the famous Strat will now be preserved in the ownership of the state, and made available to view for the public and Rory Gallagher’s fans around the world."

The Rory Gallagher Collection was sold by Bonhams Auction House in London this Thursday, October 17.

Claire Tole-Moir, the head of popular culture and science at Bonhams, said there had been significant interest in the collection since it went on public display last Saturday.

Born in Ballyshannon in Donegal, Rory Gallagher settled in Cork with his family when he was eight years old.

He died in London in 1995 aged 47, leaving behind the significant collection of guitars and music equipment, as well as a lasting and legendary effect on Irish rock music.

Speaking to RTÉ, Rory's nephew Daniel explained that the family would prefer to the instruments being played rather than held in storage.

"They deserve to be played. You know they've been held in storage for 30 years. It would be really good to hear them played rather than stuck in a vault somewhere," he said.