A collection of guitars and music equipment belonging to the late Irish musician and songwriter, Rory Gallagher, is being auctioned in London.
Among the items is his Fender Stratocaster, estimated to be worth between £700,000 and £1 million.
In the lead up to the auction, there have been calls on the State to purchase the Stratocaster so that it could be put on public display.
However, she added that she is "aware of the strong interest in Rory's Fender Stratocaster. And Rory’s music and guitar playing has and continues to inspire future generations and long may that last".
Ahead of the auction, his brother, Dónal Gallagher described the sale of the collection as a "bittersweet moment".
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He said that the sale of the Fender Stratocaster to the State would be a "favourable outcome".
However, he said that "at the 11th hour" he didn't want to get his hopes up.
"That would be lovely to see it in Ireland, Cork particularly, but home is home. We'll have to wait and see".
The Rory Gallagher Collection is being sold by Bonhams Auction House in London.
Head of popular culture & science at Bonhams, Claire Tole-Moir, said there has been significant interest in the collection since it went on public display last Saturday.
Ms Tole-Moir explained that is was hard to know who the likely buyer would be.
"It could be anyone. It could be a musician, it could be a collector, could be a museum, an investor, it could be anyone!"
Read more:
Who was Rory Gallagher?
Rory Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon in Co Donegal. His family moved to Derry before settling in Cork when he was eight years old.
He died in London in 1995 at the age of 47, leaving behind the significant collection of guitars and music equipment.
His nephew, Daniel, explained that the family would like to see the instruments being played rather than held in storage.
"They deserve to be played. You know they've been held in storage for 30 years. It would be really good to hear them played rather than stuck in a vault somewhere", he said.
The family has stated that proceeds from the sale will go towards projects connected to the legacy of Rory Gallagher as well as other good causes.
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