Let’s print the legend. Once, in the late sixties, they asked the great man: Jimmy HendrixIn an interview, he talked about what it felt like to be the best guitarist in the world.
i don’t know ask Rory Gallagher– replied.
A certain Rory Gallagher was the singer and guitarist of “Taste”, an Irish power trio that he would free himself to start a sensual solo career in the seventies. Hendrix, who died at the beginning of the term, did not see it for the next quarter century, although he already recognized the talent of the Irishman who would form a powerful discography until his death in 1995.
A cult musician, Gallagher has many fans in Ireland and abroad. Every year around the first weekend of June, an army of fans gathers in his hometown to celebrate the legacy of a genius: Ballyshannon, a small town in the north of the country, in County Donegal, with barely two thousand inhabitants. It multiplies when the Rory Gallagher International Festival is held.
It was created in 2002, the festival has become a must on the irish festival calendarWinner of the “Irish Festival of the Year” award up to five times. Simple and effective recipe: good rock and lots of it.
The festival takes place over four stunning days, from Thursday to Sunday (1-4 June this year). About thirty concerts are held in up to fifteen venues within the small town: the town has bars all equipped with stages, but there are also street stages, and even small recitals are held in the square next to the statue dedicated to the guitarist. main city. Most free, previous consumption in bars (very cheap by the way). But there are also a number of “best” concerts that take place in a large tent set up by the river on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, with four concerts per shift for a fee (35 euros per day). This year’s roster includes Michael Schenker (formerly “The Scorpions”), Eric Gales, Laurence Jones and Pat MacManus, among others.
Road to Ballyshannon
Getting to the Rory Gallagher festival isn’t easy, but it’s worth the adventure. A possible itinerary might include spending the night in Dublin and taking the opportunity to visit Temple Bar, where a tribute is kept for the Ballyshannon guitarist: The Rory Gallagher Corner, signage with an electric guitar.
You can take the bus from Dublin to Ballyshannon. The trip theoretically takes about four hours, although it tends to be longer. There is another alternative: take a train to Sligo (approximately 3 hours 20 minutes) and from there take a bus to Donegal (an additional hour). The price ranges from 20 to 40 euros in any case.
The real problem isn’t the journey, it’s the place to stay. Hotel rooms in Ballyshannon are limited and impossible to book at this point in the movie. The alternative within the town is a campground with various types of accommodation ranging from 180 to 800 euros for the four nights of the festival.
There are more options for accommodation in hotels or hostels in other nearby towns, particularly Bundoran, just a few kilometers away, and Donegal, fifteen minutes away. Either way, there are buses to Ballyshannon every festival day until the wee hours of the morning.
double room price four nights can go between 500 and 900 euros, depending on the organization. The official website of the festival is rorygallagherfestival.com.
Wild Atlantic Way
Beyond the festival, Ballyshannon’s location is ideal for exploring the Wild Atlantic Way, the country’s beautiful west coast. Without going too far south, one affordable destination away from Rory Gallagher’s birthplace is Galway, a lively university town with busy shopping and leisure activities. There is a direct bus connection and the journey takes just over three hours.
From Galway, there’s also the opportunity to make a unique getaway to the town of Cong, a small town in County Mayo just an hour from the city, although it requires a change in Headford. This hidden gem in Ireland has its own charm: the movie was shot there. “Silent man”. A Homeric closing for the journey along the wild and rocky Irish Atlantic coast.