Tánaiste Micheál Martin has hinted that an Irish cultural institution may acquire the famous Fender Stratocaster guitar owned by deceased rock star Rory Gallagher, which goes up to auction later this week. Mr Martin had earlier, in the summer, suggested the possibility of procuring Gallagher’s guitar with the Minister for Arts and Culture Catherine Martin, when it was announced the Gallagher estate would be auctioning the instrument for an anticipated price between £700,000 and £1 million (€833,000 to €1.19 million).
The 1961 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster will be auctioned at the Bonham’s Auction House located in London this coming Thursday. Mr. Martin, Leader of the Fianna Fáil party, who welcomed Gallagher at a civic reception during his term as Cork’s mayor in 1992/1993, expressed his desire for the guitar to be returned to Leeside.
Catherine Martin had previously mentioned to Labour TD Ged Nash that the decision of purchasing Gallagher’s guitar lies with the national cultural institutions, while acknowledging the enormous public interest due to the “continuing respect for Rory Gallagher’s musical and creative contributions”.
When quizzed over the weekend about any progress by the State in acquisition of the guitar, the Tánaiste stated he had conversed with Ms Martin and reiterated his stance that the guitar is an essential cultural artefact since Gallagher was the initial Irish rock star to achieve international recognition. He emphasized that there are certain procedures and strategies to be followed in this process, stating that the national cultural institutions have a significant role in this endeavour.
In response to a query as to whether the intent was to place a bid on the guitar this week, Mr Martin cautioned against overemphasizing things, yet recognized the questioner’s knack for inference at times. The Fender Stratocaster, along with about 150 other instruments and miscellaneous items from Gallagher’s three decades of showbiz, are placed on the auction block by the Gallagher Estate, overseen by Donal Gallagher, Gallagher’s brother and ex-manager.