Rory Gallagher’s amp helps lifeboat stay afloat

An amplifier which travelled the world with late blues guitar legend Rory Gallagher has helped raise €7,000 for the lifeboat station in a fishing village whose cliffs he loved to walk during breaks from touring.

The rehearsal amplifier bought in the mid-1970s by the bluesman, who died in 1995, was put up for auction by his brother Dónal to raise funds for the Ballycotton RNLI lifeboat, along with a replica of his Fender Stratocaster sunburst-effect guitar.

“This amp went with him everywhere, absolutely everywhere. You couldn’t get a more personal thing to Rory,” said auctioneer Ian Whyte as he opened bidding on the items on Saturday evening.