'This is mad': Inside the Rory Gallagher auction frenzy (2025)

Rory’s ‘backup’ 1958 Strat made £127,400 in total, a Martin acoustic also hit six figures at £102,000, and a Fender Esquire went past £95,000.

But the real success of the sale probably isn’t the monetary value of the items that had largely remained in storage since the Cork guitarist’s death in 1995 at the age of 47. Instead, it’s the interest and outpouring of affection for a figure who was widely recognised as one of the best guitarists in the world, and one of the nicest guys in the business.

The room at Bonhams felt like a United Nations of sorts as people from various Irish counties, and many corners of the globe looked in awe at the items before the sale, swapping stories of Rory gigs and other milestones.

These international sentiments seemed to chime with what we’ve heard in Cork and other parts of Ireland in recent months since news broke about the sale.

For many, the 1961 Strat in particular triggers memories of joyous performances during the young Gallagher’s emergence with the band Taste in the late 1960s, and his solo career through subsequent decades.

He was one of Ireland’s first rock stars and a flagbearer for a new youth culture that was bursting free from the strictures of previous generations and plugging into an international buzz.

When it came to the auction, rumours had been flying all week about who’d be bidding. Apparently, a mysterious French collector had been sighted. A dot.com millionaire had reputedly expressed an interest. And somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody close to U2 reckoned The Edge was a sure thing.

When the auction kicked off at 3pm, it soon hit a pace worthy of a blistering guitar solo from the man himself. Estimate prices were blown out of the water. Over £52,000 was paid for a mandolin that had been estimated at £10,000-£15,000.

“This is mad,” quipped a man in the crowd, a bit louder than he’d intended.

“It certainly is mad,” retorted the genial auctioneer as he juggled raised hands in the room with other people phoning in or bidding online.

As the afternoon wore on, the energy seemed to settle somewhat, and several of the ‘lesser’ guitars were acquired for sums in the region of £7,000 to £20,000. But there was always a whiff of unpredictability in the room. Not least when a green flight case at the more affordable end of the reserves ended up going for £14,080.

By the time the auction ended after 7pm, there were plenty of people trundling into the London air with a disappointed demeanour. But for those heading home with a piece of their musical hero, it made for a magical day.

Sheena Crowley - the daughter of Mick Crowley, who had sold the Strat to Rory in 1963 - had dived into the stress-laden bidding process with donations from a GoFundMe campaign she had established. She still runs a version of Crowleys Music Store in Cork, and was delighted to secure two of Galagher's guitars for the city - a 1963 Epiphone Coronet for £14,080 (€16,900), and the 1983 Tokai Talbo for £6,400 (€7,700).

A huge cheer had erupted from the Irish contingent in the room when it was revealed that the Strat was heading back to Ireland. As well as experiencing the solidarity among the Irish in Bonhams, Sheena bumped into Dutch photographer Bert Droos, who had taken many photos of Rory. "He was hugging me, saying ‘The guitar is going home!’"

Of course, Sheena's thoughts also turned to her father, the late Mick. “It was majorly emotional. My dad is very very happy, I am very sure Rory is happy, and Dónal [Gallagher] is happy. So we are sorted!”