President pays tribute to ‘iconic figure’ and guitarist Rory Gallagher

President Michael D Higgins has confessed to being "lost in admiration" for the late guitarist Rory Gallagher.

The president unveiled a new installation in Harold’s Cross, Dublin based on the life and music of the guitarist who died in 1995 at the age of 47.

The installation by artist Alec Galloway features Gallagher's signature guitar, a scuffed-looking 1961 Fender Stratocaster. It was allegedly one of the first Stratocasters to have been brought into Ireland.

Gallagher blazed a trail as arguably the greatest guitar player Ireland has produced and regularly appears on lists of the best guitarists in the world.

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The President also unveiled a new boardroom named in honour of Gallagher at Fender’s Irish offices in Harold’s Cross on Friday afternoon. He suggested that corporations could learn a lot from listening to good music.

Mr Higgins described Gallagher as an “iconic figure” who achieved an incomparable level of excellence during his career. He was presented with a boxed set on vinyl of all 16 of Gallagher’s studio albums which have been reissued.

Mr Galloway said he was commissioned by Gallagher’s brother Donal to create the piece. He used a collage of images from Gallagher’s life and included as an indent a tremolo arm from one of his guitars.

Donal Gallagher said he was "overawed" by the occasion. "To have Rory honoured by the Fender company it is like a full circle. Rory was an avid guitar collector. He had other Fenders too, but this Strat was his weapon of choice."