"Phil was one of our musical heroes and it is great that his memory and music lives on, through this fascinating exhibition," the Minister said. "This is a wonderful collection of memorabilia, photos, original lyrics and tributes to Phil Lynott, who was an icon in the Irish music scene for many years.

He was the first real rock star from this country and we all looked up to him for his musical and lyrical ability - when he took an old Irish song like 'Whiskey in the Jar' and elevated it to the level where it became a popular song. This song became a great anthem for Cork and Kerry people, who had no problem singing that song together."

The Minister was met at the exhibition by Philomena Lynott, who shared her memories of her son with the man who is in charge of Arts policy – including popular culture and music – here for the next five years.

"I was delighted," Minister Deenihan said afterwards, "to meet Phil's mother Philomena, who has helped bring together so many memorable items from his childhood – and the material from the Hot Press archives gives us great insight into the man, the band and his music."

The Minister spent some time looking around the exhibition and posed with the famous Fender Precision bass with the reflective scratchplate, which Philo used to dazzle audiences all over the world.