Rory Gallagher’s iconic guitar sells for £889K at auction

The iconic guitar that Irish rock and blues legend Rory Gallagher played throughout his career has been sold at auction for more than £889,000.

Gallagher, widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, bought the 1961 Fender Stratocaster for £100 in 1963.

The hammer went down at Bonham’s auction house in London at £700,000 but with a premium included, the final price comes to £889,400.

It was one of a number of the Irish musician’s instruments and other items being auctioned by the Gallagher estate on Thursday with a reserve price of between £700,000 and £1m.

Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, and spent part of his childhood in Londonderry.

Although born in the north west, Gallagher spent his formative years in Cork after his family relocated there in the 1956.

He first made headlines with his band, Taste, in the late 1960s.

When Jimi Hendrix was asked how it felt to be the world’s greatest guitarist, he is reported to have said: “I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher.”

Gallagher’s albums have sold more than 30 million copies globally.

He died in June 1995 at the age of 47.

Details regarding who the buyer was have yet to be confirmed.

Previously, Ireland’s deputy prime minister had hinted the Irish state could make a move to buy the guitar.

“The national cultural institutions have a role in this, and we will let them engage in the process,” Micheál Martin said.

In 2018, the Central Bank of Ireland marked the 70th anniversary of Gallagher’s birth with the launch of a commemorative coin.