Music
15 Oct 25

Rory Gallagher's iconic Fender Stratocaster to go on display at Collins Barracks tomorrow

Photo credits: Brian Cooke

The guitar returns to Ireland as part of a new permanent exhibition at the National Museum.

Rory Gallagher’s legendary 1961 Fender Stratocaster will go on public display tomorrow, October 16, at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks.

The guitar, recently acquired through a donation by Live Nation-Gaiety Investments, will feature in the Museum’s new Changing Ireland galleries.

Gallagher’s Stratocaster was the centrepiece of a major auction at Bonhams in London last week.

It was sold for £700,000, with a buyer’s premium bringing the total to approximately €1.07 million. The acquisition also included Gallagher’s back-up guitar—a 1958 Fender Stratocaster—as well as his Vox AC30 amplifier and FX pedal.

“We are thrilled that Rory’s guitar is destined for the national collection,” said Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland. “He is one of Ireland’s most iconic musicians, and his talent for playing the guitar is legendary and celebrated globally. It’s fitting that these guitars will become part of Ireland’s national collection, to be treasured and secured for generations to come.”

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MCD promoter Denis Desmond, who helped lead the purchase, told Hot Press that there was a shared determination to keep the guitar in Ireland and out of private ownership, “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.”

Dónal Gallagher, Rory’s brother and longtime manager of his estate, said the family was deeply moved by the response to the auction. “Rory meant so much to so many people. 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.”

The Changing Ireland exhibition opens to the public on October 16 at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks.

Future plans for the display of Gallagher’s guitars include a possible exhibition in his hometown of Cork.