Rory immortalised in his home town

[roryfan]

Another article about the statue from today's California Chronicle via the Belfast Telegraph

Rory immortalised in his home town
LEGENDARY musician Rory Gallagher would have loved an invitation to play
at the annual folk festival in the town of his birth, but it never
happened, his brother has revealed.

But with yesterday's unveiling of a bronze life-sized statue depicting
the guitarist in action, his wish to appear in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal,
has finally come true, 15 years after his death.

The blues and rock legend, famed for his groundbreaking guitar work, is
also commemorated in Paris, Dublin and Cork, where he spent most of his
childhood and is buried. Yesterday evening up to 20 members of his
family descended on the small Donegal town for the unveiling of the
David Annand sculpture which occupies pride of place in the centre of
the town.

The ceremony kick-started the ninth Rory Gallagher Festival when the
population of the town quadruples to celebrate its most famous son.

"Rory left Ballyshannon at three but it is quite incredible that he is
still respected and loved," said his brother Donal.

"I think one of the only times that Rory came back to Ballyshannon was
when he was playing in Sligo.

"He loved it. I remember he saw a poster for the Ballyshannon Folk
Festival and he said the one thing he would love would be if they asked
him to play at it. I said I could make a phone call and he said 'no no.
It's just if they asked me I would do it for them'. He never played in
the Ballyshannon Folk Festival, sadly," he said.

CAPTION: Donal Gallagher, Rory's brother and manager, at the unveiling
of the statue

jason mcgarrigle

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