“There were six guys dressed as emergency gas men with bolt-cutters. It was horrifying how quickly they got into our unit”: Rory Gallagher’s family on why safety and security concerns for his guitar collection encouraged them to sell it at auction

The news that Rory Gallagher’s legendary Strat is to be sold at auction later this year has caused quite a stir in recent months, but the Gallagher family has explained how increasing concerns for the six-string's safety ultimately forced them to sell it at auction.

The 1961 Fender Stratocaster – said to be the first to ever reach Irish soil – was by Gallagher’s side throughout his career, after he bought it second-hand for £100 from Michael Crowley of Crowley’s Music Store in Cork.

It’s been in Gallagher's family’s possession since his passing in 1995, but they recently announced it would head to the auction block – along with some of his other gear – where it is expected to fetch around £1,000,000.

Speaking in the new issue of Guitarist Donal Gallagher, Rory’s brother, discussed the family's decision to sell the guitar collection at auction, citing “several factors” behind their choice – with the safety of the iconic guitar top of the list.

The costs of insuring and storing the guitar are considerable, and a recent scare at a storage unit that housed some of Rory's gear accelerated Donal’s desire to give the Strat a new home.

“[There were] six guys dressed as emergency gas men with bolt-cutters and angle grinders,” he says. “It was horrifying just how quickly they got into our unit – obviously [what was in there] wasn’t what they were after, but it had the same effect [as if they had deliberately targeted it] and you kind of go, ‘Wow, that’s scary.

“Next year it’ll be the 30th anniversary [of Rory’s death], and obviously that puts a lot of things into focus – especially as we’ve been completing a new documentary on Rory ahead of the anniversary,” he continues.

“When I looked at the instruments [while making the documentary] I couldn’t help thinking, ‘What happens after my demise?’ for instance. And I suppose being hospitalized myself [Donal recently underwent successful treatment for cancer] brought that into sharper focus.”

The guitar has been toured around in previous years but that hasn’t been without its complications. The guitar was in the US when Covid lockdown restrictions came into force, meaning the family “didn’t see the guitar for nearly three years”.

“You have sleepless nights any time the guitar travels because when are you likely to see it again?” he continues. “It’s great that other people are seeing it and visiting it, but you start thinking, ‘What if something happens?”

Discussions regarding making the Strat a museum piece have taken place over the years, with Donal saying one took place as far back as 1998, but none have come to fruition. And so the decision to sell the guitar and the wider collection of Gallagher gear has been made with a heavy but practical heart.

“The guitar has got to move on. The life it’s got at present isn’t necessarily the kindest one it could have,” he admits. “I knew all the difficulties I faced, holding the collection, which I never get to see anyway. Because you can’t just hang the Strat up over your fireplace. It’s not an object for the family to enjoy.”

Nearly three decades of caring for the guitar has taken its toll on the family, and that long-term responsibility has therefore forced the family’s hand. The Strat is due to go on sale on October 17 via Bonhams in London, with the guitar just one of 150 pieces of Gallagher-owned gear – including amps and pedals – set to be sold.

A campaign has been launched by Sheena Crowley – the daughter of the man who originally sold Gallagher the guitar – which has received the support of government officials. The campaign wants to raise enough money to buy the guitar and have it as the centerpiece of a museum dedicated to Cork’s musical history.

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