The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, has honoured the Irish rock legend, Rory Gallagher.
In a rousing speech made at the annual Bloomsday Garden Party at Áras an Uachtaráin, the President (pictured above with Dónal Gallagher) spoke passionately of the guitar maestro’s huge contribution to music both in Ireland and internationally.
"While today is a day for celebration," President Higgins said, "I have to say it is also a poignant day for some – a poignant day for all of us in Ireland... as we mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Rory Gallagher.
"While Rory's death was premature, his legacy is a profound one, one acknowledged in so many cities around the world. His great talent continues to inspire and influence a new generation of guitarists and he remains one of the most highly regarded Irish musicians of all time.
"There can be no doubt,” the President added, "that Rory's role in the story of Irish blues and rock music is immeasurable, and that his memory lives on, and will live on, through both his own unique talent, and the talent of those whose work continues to pay homage to Rory Gallagher's great genius."
The garden party was held on June 14, the 20th anniversary of Rory’s death, which occurred in 1995. In a wide-ranging speech, the President also paid tribute to Focus Theatre founder Deirdre O’Connell, as well as to Irish literary superstars James Joyce, William Butler Yeats and Paul Durcan.
In a further tribute to Rory, during a series of poetry readings and tunes curated by film-maker Alan Gilsenan, the performer Little John read the Louis de Paor poem, originally written in Irish and entitled simply ‘Rory'. In a fitting celebration of the great guitar-player’s influence, Little John Nee was backed for the occasion by Fiachna O Braonáin of Hot House Flowers on guitar and Liam Ó Maonlaí on piano, playing around a 12-bar structure that underpinned the reading. It turned into one of the highlights of what was a remarkable celebration of Irish creativity.
"A million miles away from you,” Little John read,
"right at the back of the hall
my heart was beating
the drums of my hands;
I hadn’t a note in my head
only the grace-notes you picked
from tangled strings
as the knot in my veins
was undone by your brilliant fingers."
Towards the end of Little John Nee’s fine reading, things took an emotional turn.
"Can you feel it now,” the poet Louis de Paor asks,
"our swiftfingered brightness,
as the light of heaven
shovels silence on the eyes
of the crowd as they press against the stage,
calling you back from the dark:
Rory
Rory
Rory…
Now can you hear me?”
And as Little John enunciated the words, the crowd joined together in a chant that will have been wonderfully familiar to anyone who had ever seen Rory Gallagher in action. In unison, they called out: “Rory, Rory, Rory…” – and the spirit of the G-man came alive in the room.
There were many high points in a day that was dedicated to the power of creativity and art. Both Barry McGovern and Tom Hickey read poems by Paul Durcan; John Sheehan played a series of tunes; Hot House Flowers did a sparkling set, of which an African-influenced reworking of seminal hit ‘Don’t Go’ was a stand-out – and there was much more besides.
Many familiar faces from the inter-connected worlds of the arts, entertainment, literature, film, theatre and music were in attendance, including Rory’s brother and manager, Dónal and his wife Cecelia Gallagher. For fans of rock’n’roll, the tribute paid by the President to Rory Gallagher will long live in the memory...
Cecelia Gallagher, President Michael D. Higgins & Dónal Gallagher