Wet Wet Wet man joins chorus of praise for Philip Lynott exhibition

"It's a great exhibition, I love it,” he reflected. “What's really appealing is how interactive it is, especially for the children – and the cinema area as well. It breaks up the whole journey nicely.”

Pellow emphasised the interest for musicians and fans of music alike.

“I love the cabinets and the depth of field they give the guitars, because you usually don't get to see the back of them. So you get to see the whole juxtaposition between the guitars.

“And I love how the managers have kept the receipts – all the big bar bills! It's brilliant. I think it’s a great exhibition – especially the bronze-work. And some of the artwork that's been commissioned is great.”

“There’s been a fantastic response to what we’ve done,” exhibition director and Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said. “I don’t think people had anticipated the huge scale of what we have put together, or the way in which it mixes personal elements with the story of Philip and of Thin Lizzy. Our attitude was that it was crucial to do it right and so we had to put huge resources into it.

“We wanted it to be a journey from Philip’s childhood and the Dublin he grew up in, through to the point where – for reasons that are intrinsically tragic – he has become a lost but still hugely revered icon. We were still putting the finishing touches to the exhibition at 5am on the morning we were opening. But it was worth every minute of the hard labour involved.”