“This guitar means so much to us in Cork”: The daughter of the man who sold Rory Gallagher his iconic Stratocaster in 1963 is trying to raise €1,000,000 to bring it back home

Rory Gallagher’s famous Fender Stratocaster is due to be auctioned later this year

Earlier this week it was announced that Rory Gallagher’s iconic 1961 Stratocaster is to be auctioned later this year, along with his collection of musical equipment.

Gallagher famously purchased the Strat – thought to be the first to be sold in Ireland – for £100 from Crowley’s Music Store in Cork in 1963. And now the daughter of the man who sold the guitar has launched a crowdfunding campaign to bring it back home.

“My father Michael sold Rory Gallagher the famous iconic Strat over 60 years ago,” says Sheena Crowley on her GoFundMe page. “The Strat and Rory’s instrument collection will be going up for auction in October 2024. This guitar means so much to us in Cork, and we need to become the custodians of that magical guitar.”