An iconic 1961 Fender Stratocaster guitar owned by musician Rory Gallagher has sold at auction for more than £889,000.
The instrument is to be donated to the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) after it was bought by Live Nation Gaiety Ltd.
The hammer went down at £700,000 at Bonhams Auction House in London on Thursday, but with a premium included, the final price comes to £889,400.
It is understood to be a record price for any instrument of original Irish ownership.
An Irish government minister confirmed after the auction that the purchaser will donate the instrument to the NMI and it will be placed in exhibition.
In a statement the minister for Culture and Arts, Catherine Martin said she was “absolutely delighted that Rory’s guitar is coming home to Ireland”.
She added: “The generous donation to the museum will not only allow the famous instrument to be protected for future generations and musicians, but will also attract visitors from far and wide.
“I look forward to hearing more of the museum’s plans to showcase the famous Strat, which I understand will include Cork, where the legendary musician grew up.”
Gallagher, an internationally renowned Donegal musician and songwriter bought the 1961 Fender Stratocaster for £100 on credit from the owner of Crowley’s Music Store in Cork in 1963.
Legend has it, the guitar may have been the first Stratocaster to ever reach the island of Ireland.
With a reserve price of between £700,000 and £1 million, the guitar was one of a number of the Irish musician’s instruments and other items being auctioned by the Gallagher estate on Thursday.
Bonhams had described the item as “one of the world’s most recognisable guitars”.
Earlier this year, Gallagher’s brother Dónal, who was his manager for most of his career, said he believed the time was now right for “other people to cherish Rory’s ‘orphaned’ 1961 Fender Stratocaster”.
Gallagher, who was born in Ballyshannon, died in June 1995 at the age of 47. His albums have sold more than 30 million copies globally.
Other items sold at the auction on Thursday included Gallagher’s 1968 Martin D-35 Flat Top acoustic guitar, which sold for £102,000 and his 1959 Fender Esquire electric guitar for £95,650.
Another one of Gallagher’s guitars, the 1930 National Triolian Resonator, also sold for £95,650.
The family have said that proceeds from the sale will go towards projects connected to the legacy of Gallagher and other good causes.
