A crowd of loyal fans gathered for a unique ceremony on a street corner in Dublin, Ireland, on Friday night, June 16, in fitting tribute to a much-missed favorite son. They were there for the unveiling of the Rory Gallagher Guitar Sculpture, presented by the Musical Instrument Merchants of Dublin and Fender Musical Instrument Corp.

The free public ceremony took place at 8:30 that evening at Coirnéal Ruairí Uí Ghallchóir (Rory Gallagher Corner), Meeting House Square, Temple Bar Dublin 2, and was attended by a host of family, friends and fans, including Rory Gallagher’s younger brother and manager, Donal, who has looked after his famous elder brother’s affairs since his untimely death in 1995; Lord Mayor of Dublin Catherine Byrne; event organizer Mark Walsh of Dublin’s Keynote Music Sales Ltd.; and U2 guitarist The Edge.

The sculpture is a detailed and life-size bronze replica of Gallagher’s famously worn 1961 Fender Stratocaster® guitar, mounted about 15 feet above bustling Essex Street East.

Walsh and Gallagher made some brief remarks before Byrne and The Edge unveiled the wall-mounted sculpture to massive cheering. Fans continued cheering to a spirited 9 p.m. performance by tribute band A Taste of Rory, followed by film footage of Gallagher onstage during his 1974 Irish tour.

In his remarks, The Edge called blues-rock guitar hero Gallagher “a huge influence on my life.”

“I always admired Rory as a musician and was later lucky enough to call him a friend,” Edge said. “His legacy will live on in hundreds of bands in this country. He laid the road for everyone in music. It is an honour to be here and lay tribute to the man and his work.”

At the event, Fender Ireland’s Sean Mullen noted that the sculpture overlooks “probably the busiest part of the city,” and said, “Everybody agreed the bronze replica looks incredible; nobody expected such detail and the brilliant colouring so close to the original.”

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