Irish musicians call for the return of stolen guitar

A Facebook appeal for a guitar that was stolen from a car in Dublin on Tuesday night has gone viral, after fans and musical colleagues took to social media to call for the return of jazz guitarist Hugh Buckley's treasured musical instrument.

Mr Buckley's guitar was stolen from the boot of his car, which he parked outside the Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Square North between 6pm and 10pm on Tuesday.

When Mr Buckley returned to his vehicle after seeing a show in the Gate Theatre, he discovered the rear window of his car had been smashed and his guitar and a number of other items were missing from the boot.

The stolen guitar is a Gibson L4, which the musician bought in 1989 and has used for recordings and gigs across the globe.

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"I've recorded a lot with it and travelled to South America, New York and even China with it," Mr Buckley told The Irish Times.

“It makes a lovely sound and you become attached to these things. I’ve always thought I wouldn’t sell this instrument ever.”

Mr Buckley has played the guitar on-stage with such high-profile musicians as Van Morrison, Louis Stewart, Brad Mehldau, Scott Hamilton, Rubén González, Sheryl Bailey, Ronnie Drew and Lisa Stanfield.

He said the person who stole the instrument could never understand the sentimental value it holds in his life.

“It’s worth a lot more to me than it would be to anyone else because it’s such a personal item.”

The guitar, which was in a distinctive black cello-shaped case, was taken along with a compact 60 Aer AMP in a black Aer shoulder bag and a black MacBook laptop in a black shoulder bag.

Facebook post

After reporting the theft to Mountjoy Garda station, Mr Buckley posted on Facebook that his cherished guitar had been stolen.

He wrote: “This is really upsetting as I’m a real minimalist with regard to gear and [had] the guitar for about 25 years. Please share. Many thanks in advance.”

After leaving the post up overnight, he logged into his Facebook account on Wednesday morning to discover that it had been shared more than 1,000 times.

At the latest count, the post had been shared nearly 2,000 times.

“I was really affected by the response from people on social media this morning, all over the country and even from abroad.

“The phone’s been hopping all day with messages of support from other musicians and members of the musical community,” he said.

Mr Buckley has appealed to anyone with information on the whereabouts of his guitar to contact Mountjoy Garda station.

A spokesman for the Garda said no arrests have been made in relation to the theft but an investigation into the theft is ongoing.