The pulling power of leading Irish rock legends has been underscored in the birthplace of the late blues rock guitarist Rory Gallagher.
Minister of State for Tourism Michael Ring yesterday launched the 11th Rory Gallagher international tribute festival with a few chords on a guitar and beside a mural of the great rocker in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal.
The Minister had a clear message for the 12,000 fans expected there before the festival ends on Sunday night.
Mr Ring said he hoped to see the numbers increase to 15,000 next year to contribute to The Gathering, an initiative expected to attract 325,000 of the diaspora to Ireland in 2013.
He had noticed that already people had come from as far away as Switzerland and Scandinavia for this year’s Gallagher tribute festival, he said. The headline act tomorrow night will be former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor. Other headline acts include Dr Feelgood tonight and Horslips on Sunday.
Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon in 1948 and raised in Cork. He died 17 years ago, aged 47, and is remembered with a bronze statue in the town centre.
He was regarded as one of the world’s great blues ’n’ rock guitarists and sold 30 million albums with Taste and then his own Rory Gallagher band.
He was awarded a posthumous Freedom of Ballyshannon four years ago.