Review: Rory Gallagher Festival, Ballyshannon 2010

15-06-10

It has been said more times than I care to count that I was born a generation late. Many of my own family and friends award me this label, and really, it’s not one I’m overly ashamed of.

Why should I hide the fact that my idols are the greats of yesteryear who, for the most part, have already passed on untimely or otherwise? This weekend I was reassured that I wasn’t the only one of my kind.

Chaos descended on the Donegal town of Ballyshannon as thousands of fans of Rory Gallagher flocked to the area for a 5-day celebration of the man and his music. For many of the younger fans that didn’t get a chance to see Gallagher in action, this is about as close as you can get to the real thing with scores of tribute acts playing in the various venues the town has to offer.

The beginning of the festival was marked by the unveiling of a fantastic statue of Gallagher in the centre of the town. Unlike the dignified pose of the Phil Lynott statue in Dublin, this captures Gallagher in full flow- trademark Strat in hand, sleeves rolled up, hair everywhere and a slide on his ring finger. It serves as one of the many reminders of him and its position in Ballyshannon signifies Gallagher’s love for the town he was born in.

 Getting into town on Friday evening we were met by two open-air gigs already in full swing. Bands from Ireland, England, mainland Europe and even Scandinavia travelled to this small town in southern Donegal to be part of the celebrations and every single one was listened to by huge numbers of fans. No matter who the band were and regardless of their style, line-up or quality, you could be certain there’d be plenty gathered as close as they could get to the stage to listen to their favourite Rory Gallagher songs. With glorious weather and a fantastic atmosphere it was impossible not to have a great time. Perfect festival conditions which many attributed to ‘Rory smiling down on us.’

What surprised me most were the seemingly endless crowds of teenagers lining the streets. While the seasoned rockers were returned to their youth the youth of today were out in force to have a good time. It’s great to see that Gallagher’s music is truly timeless; as relevant today as it was when he played it, and it’s fantastic to see that there is such support among the younger generations for the music, and events such as the festival.

However, it would seem that many saw the weekend as an excuse for a good old drinking session. Unfortunately for the residents of the town, empty beer cans and bottles were strewn everywhere and I can only compare some of what I saw to something like Oxegen with fewer people but more buildings.

This didn’t take away from the otherwise excellent programme of events organised by the festival coordinator Barry O’Neill. Throughout each day bands from all over Ireland, England and beyond played on street corners, mobile stages and in the various pubs. The whole event was headlined on the Saturday night by none other than former Whitesnake axe man ‘Bernie Marsden’, although several hundred, myself included, packed into Dorian’s hotel for tribute supremos ‘Shinkicker’ and ‘Sinnerboy.’ Both bands delivered a performance of the highest standard, a great tribute to a legend.

Vital for any fan of Gallagher, but worth a visit for fans of blues/ rock ‘n roll.