A guitar receipt acts as a portal to Cork past 

Steve Lynch, of the Dixies, with his Gibson guitar bought from Crowley's Music Centre.

At first glance, it just looks like a crumpled old receipt from years gone by. But if you lean in to read it closely, it almost whispers a remarkable story from across the decades.

From a time when people and passion came before profit, when customer care came before cash, and when Ireland’s showband era was in full swing as rock and roll was changing the world.

It’s a story about how a part-time musician in one of the country’s best-known showbands, who sold welding equipment by day and played to packed theatres and sweaty ballrooms by night, got his hands on a top-of-the-range guitar.

And of how the family who ran the music shop helped him, and countless more like him, pursue their love of music and bring entertainment to the masses.

Steve Lynch was the rhythm guitarist with The Dixies, one of Ireland’s top showbands during the late 50s and 60s, playing a striking red Gibson electric guitar for most of his time with the band.

The Dixies were rarely out of the charts. Their biggest hit 'Little Arrows' went to Number 1 on September 7, 1968, and stayed in the charts for 20-weeks. It was a huge seller and is still played today.

As a result of that success, the Dixies dominated the Spotlight magazine awards for 1968 — they were voted band of the year, 'Little Arrows' was record of the year, their famous drummer, Joe McCarthy, known to most as Joe Mac, was named showman of the year, Brendan O’Brien was named singer of the year and Steve himself was named instrumentalist of the year.

They played Carnegie Hall in New York and became only the second Irish band after the Royal to win a lucrative contract in the entertainment lounges of Las Vegas.

When the Dixies returned home in 1970, the showband era was coming to an end and they played a famous one-off reunion gig in Cork’s legendary Arcadia ballroom on St Stephen’s Night in 1982.

Sadly, Steve died in July 2016, and his Gibson lay untouched in its case for years until his widow, Breda, gave it to their son, Stephen, who recently found the original receipt for the guitar tucked safely away inside one of the case pockets.

The receipt was issued by T Crowley & Son musical instrument dealers and band specialists, on October 20 1964, when the shop was based at 12 Merchant’s Quay in Cork City before its relocation to MacCurtain St as Crowley’s Music Centre.

Founded in 1926 by renowned piper and pipe maker Tadhg Ó Crualaoi, it became an institution on the Cork music scene, and was run by Tadhg’s son Michael Crowley until his passing in August 2010.

Rory Gallagher bought his famous '61 Stratocaster from the MacCurtain St store which was for decades the largest music store in the city. The shop closed in 2013.

The receipt issued in 1964 by Crowley's Music Store in Cork to Steve Lynch of the Dixies for a Gibson ES345TD guitar by lease. The guitar is still going strong today.

Stephen decided to show the receipt to Michael’s daughter, Sheena, who opened a new Crowley’s Music Centre store on Friar St last year.

Of all the receipts she’s seen over the years, she said this one is extra special.

“In our shop almost everything was paid off over a period of time,” she said.

“It wasn't official leasing through a finance company although we did try that at one point but my father didn't like how customers were treated by those companies, so he went back to just taking payments toward their instruments after each gig or tour.

“The receipt says 'complete in lease — by cash' because they were able to pay off a lump sum on that date rather than the weekly payments previously arranged.

“Even if my aunt Eileen hadn't written that, I know the arrangement with the band.

“There is an understanding of what 'by lease' means among all our old customers. It was a great system.” 

She said bands like The Dixies were like "extended family". 

“Anyone who runs a music shop loves musicians and loves what they’re doing,” she said.

“The Dixies were in every week buying leads, strings, accessories, stands. They had an account and would throw money in whenever they had it. It was all done on trust. My dad would often just say ‘what do you need’, and he’d give it to them, and the payment would be worked out later,” she said.

Stephen said finding the receipt triggered wonderful childhood memories of accompanying his dad into Crowley’s Music Centre, of spending half the day messing about on their instruments, and of waving his dad and his bandmates off from their home in Ballinlough as they headed off on tour.

“I remember going to some of their gigs, and especially the famous reunion show in the Arcadia,” he said.

“The place was rammed. There must have been 4,500 people there. The place was like a furnace.

“I remember dad started playing his guitar behind his back and people lost their minds. That was my first glimpse of them in full flight, the first time I appreciated what they did and how good they were.” 

He plans to hold on to the instrument in case his children want to learn the guitar.

“You can almost feel the history off it,” he said.

And he plans to give the receipt to Sheena.

“I think she'd get more out of it. I think it’s more valuable to her than to us, because it’s a part of Crowley’s history,” he said.

Sheena hopes Stephen’s kids get a chance to play their grandfather’s Gibson.

“Maybe he could guide them,” she said.