“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.

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