13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Slash froze when he saw Rory's guitar'
RORY Gallagher is goin' to his hometown... one more time.
The life of the legendary bluesman will be celebrated in Cork, where he was reared, with a series of events over the next few weeks to mark the 30th anniversary of his death.
It's an emotional time for Dónal Gallagher, the late guitarist's brother and long-time manager.
'It's very satisfying, compared to some times when it almost seemed like Rory was being airbrushed out of rock music history,' says Dónal.
'To see newer generations finding him now is quite incredible. 30 years on, that he's getting honoured in such a manner of different ways is great.'
On Saturday, a new road at Cork Airport will be named in his honour and three exhibitions dedicated to Gallagher's life and music will open in the city where he grew up as part of 'Cork Rocks For Rory'.
'The one at City Hall is a photographic exhibition of his early years,' says Dónal.
'The library are doing one about his songwriting and also about how he'd become a bit of a hidden cult figure in the world of comics in the US.
'The museum is the more general one with posters and guitars. There's quite a collection of guitars. And that rolls into the Joe Bonamassa dates.'
Blues great Bonamassa will play Gallagher's music for three nights at the Marquee in Cork next month and there have been rumours Rory's famous Fender Stratocaster guitar will make an appearance.
'I've no idea,' says Dónal, laughing. 'I'm sure Joe would love that to happen, but it's in the hands of the museum people and they have their work to do.
'There's so many of the other of Rory's instruments have been offered around, so I'm sure he won't be short on guitars.'
The Strat was bought at auction last year for over €1m and gifted back to the State to be displayed at the National Museum in Dublin.
Dónal is still amazed at the effect the battered Strat has on some of the world's greatest guitarists.
'Johnny Marr's a great guy. He used to ring up to get a 'fix' of playing Rory's Strat,' said Dónal.
'He'd take it out, either at my house or the office, and he'd sit there in a corner just playing it. It was wonderful to see.
'The instrument, while it's not human, you feel it's orphaned. So it's great to see it get a good cuddle of sorts, especially from a guitarist like Johnny.
'Instruments need to be played. I don't play, so I couldn't do that. I think other family members were intimidated in some ways.
'I remember seeing Slash and the guitar was brought across to Dublin some years ago when he was playing.
'The guitar went to his dressingroom and he couldn't actually play it. He sort-of froze.'
Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, before moving to Cork at a young age, where he later cut his teeth on the showband circuit.
Dónal collected a huge amount of material during his brother's career, going right back to the earliest days and went through much of it for the RTÉ documentary Calling Card last year.
'Very emotional, you're going back in your life as well as forwards,' said Dónal. 'It's not just about the career, it's sharing your life with your brother, it's loss as well. Particularly as we were the only two siblings. That leaves quite a void.
'I'm more fortunate than most that it's such a well-recorded life.
'We used to perform together at a very early age, do church socials, until I got fired! Even from nine or 10 years old Rory was destined for things. I found I'd collected something on everything he was doing.
'He had such an amazing life. He achieved what he wanted to achieve as a musician, which was his primary goal.'
Gallagher died on June 14, 1995, at the age of just 47.
30 years after his death his music is still finding new fans and still inspiring new generations of musicians.
He's even on this year's Leaving Cert.
'A cousin of mine, his daughter, who is a budding musician herself. She couldn't believe it to see the question on the Leaving Cert Irish exam,' said Dónal.
'That's quite something when you come into a Leaving Cert. I wish I'd got one like that.'
Cork Rocks For Rory starts on June 14
