Denis Desmond on the Rory Gallagher Strat: "We wanted to keep it in Ireland"

Denis Desmond of promoters MCD has spoken to Hot Press about the purchase of Rory Gallagher’s iconic Fender Stratocaster at auction last week. The guitar is being donated to the National Museum of Ireland.

The legendary guitar – with its varnish worn down uniquely by the corrosive effect of Rory’s sweat – was the centre-piece of a sale, which took in all of the instruments that belonged to the Irish guitar legend, at Bonhams auction house in London. The guitar – one of the lost recognisable in the world of music – was sold for £700,000 with a premium taking that figure up to £889,400 – equivalent to €1,070,000.

"We are happy with the price paid,” Denis Desmond told Hot Press. "We went into it with the intention of buying the guitar and keeping it in Ireland. No one wanted it going to a private collector.”

The guitar was purchased by the Live Nation-Gaiety Investments partnership, which is jointly owned by Denis and his wife Caroline, and Live Nation. The decision to purchase the guitar was agreed by Michael Rapino, the CEO of Live Nation, who took a direct interest in the project. The team included Mike Adamson, who runs Live Nation in Ireland, and Sean Brown, financial controller at MCD, who handled the bidding – and finally made sure of the purchase.

They worked with the Department of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the National Museum, so that the bid was effectively supported by the State – though the funds were all coming from Live Nation-Gaiety Investments.

Everyone involved is a big fan of Rory Gallagher’s music – which added to the sense of mission involved.

Rory Gallagher's 1961 Fender Stratocaster. Credit: Bonhams

"Dónal Gallagher has done an incredible job in managing Rory’s estate and keeping the legacy alive,” Denis Desmond observed. "That’s what this is really all about. It is about honouring the man and his music.”

It was an emotional occasion for the Gallagher family. But for them, it was vital to get the instruments out of storage – and to find the right home for the Strat in particular. Now, that has happened.

“We were overwhelmed by the response to the auction,” Dónal Gallagher said, "and the outpouring of love and respect shown towards Rory and his incredible legacy. Rory meant so much to so many people. We want to thank everyone who took part in the auction – and everyone who shared their own memories of Rory with us. We’re delighted now that Rory’s 1961 Stratocaster will be returning to Ireland, where it can be shared with his fans for generations to come."

There has also been a hugely positive response from the general public – and from Rory fans – to the news of the purchase, and the fact that the guitar will indeed be returning to Ireland.

"There's a lot of love for Rory Gallagher,” Denis Desmond reflected, "and people are happy that the guitar is staying in Ireland. He is an icon.”

There were personal reasons for the purchase too. Mike Adamson told Hot Press that he was a huge fan of Rory’s music from the time he first heard the Cork bluesman play. And, in addition to being from Cork, Denis Desmond also had a long history with Rory and his music.

"Sleepy Hollow, from Cork, were one of the first acts I worked with,” he recalled. “They supported Rory in Ireland and UK, which how I met Joe O’Herlihy – who’s been my best friend for 50 years.”

Joe was live sound engineer with Rory Gallagher before he went on to work with U2 – a position he holds still, with the first ever live show at Sphere in Las Vegas being among his many outstanding credits in a storied career.

In addition to the iconic Strat, Live Nation-Gaiety Investments also purchased the Vox AC30 that was Rory’s signature amp, as well as an FX pedal and the official ‘back-up guitar’.

Plans for the prized Fender Stratocaster are currently being formulated.

“Initially it will go on display at the National Museum,” Denis told Hot Press.

And afterwards? Let's wait and see...