Rory Gallagher’s instantly recognizable heavily worn Fender Stratocaster has sold at auction for $1.16 million and will be donated to the National Museum of Ireland to further its legacy.
The sale comes as welcome news to the growing movement determined to keep the guitar on Irish shores. The instrument was purchased by Live Nation Gaiety Ltd. — a joint partnership between the ticketing firm and a Dublin theater — to ensure its future as a museum piece for music enthusiasts.
The guitar, which Gallagher purchased in 1963, is the first Stratocaster to arrive in Ireland and has been in the care of Gallagher’s brother and former manager, Dónal, since his death in 1995. Looking after the instrument, which included loaning it to museums and exhibits, had taken its toll on the Gallagher family. Dónal, who recently underwent successful treatment for cancer, said auctioning the guitar had been a “difficult decision."
“I couldn’t help thinking, What happens after my demise?” he recently told Guitarist. “And I suppose being hospitalized myself brought that into sharper focus. The guitar has got a life of its own and it’s got to move on.”
Gallagher also cited the mounting storage costs and stress of being away from the instrument during the pandemic — it was in a U.S. museum when the world went into lockdown — as other reasons for its sale.
The announcement that the guitar would head to auction caused a stir in the guitar world in recent months as efforts were initiated to stop its sale.
The daughter of the music store owner who sold the guitar to Gallagher established a GoFundMe page to raise one million euros — about $1.1 million — to keep the guitar in Ireland as the centerpiece of a “music museum” in Gallagher’s hometown of Cork.
Members of the Irish government extended support to the campaign. Underscoring the guitar’s cultural significance, Michael Martin, Ireland's deputy prime minister, said, “Rory was one of the first to put Irish rock on the international stage.” The campaign ultimately fell short of its target.
The $1.16 million sale makes Gallagher's Strat one of the most expensive guitars ever sold at auction. Other notable guitars in that category include Eric Clapton’s “Blackie” Strat ($959,000), and David Gilmour's Martin D-35 ($1,095,000). Kurt Cobain's MTV Unplugged Martin D-18E acoustic guitar currently holds the top spot after selling for more than $6 million in 2020.
Joe Bonamassa was first in line to celebrate the news that Gallagher's Strat would remain in Ireland. Taking to Instagram, he wrote, “The best news I have heard all year. Bless them for keeping this guitar in Ireland. Congratulations to the Gallagher family for such an incredible auction. I know it was a heavy and emotional day.”
Dónal Gallagher says his family has been “overwhelmed by the response to this auction” and the passion people have shown for his brother's legacy.
“It has been nearly 30 years since my brother's passing,” he reflects. “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.”
The Stratocaster was just one piece in the auction, which included a large number of Rory's electric guitars, amps and pedals.
Gallagher’s 1968 Martin D-35 acoustic sold for £102,000 ($132,000), while a stunning '30s-era National Triolian resonator fetched £95,000 ($125,000).
A 1963 Gretsch Corvette that had cost Gallagher a mere $150 sold for £25,600 ($33,000), with the late great’s quirky 1968 Coral 3S19 Electric Sitar amassing £11,520 ($15,000).
Lastly, Gallagher's '59 Fender Esquire, which was once crushed on an airport runway but survived, fetched £95,650 ($125,000). It still bears the scars of that fateful incident.
To see the full auction results, visit Bonhams.
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