THE MAIN entrance road to Cork Airport has been renamed in honour of rock legend Rory Gallagher, who passed away 30 years ago this weekend.
The sign for Rory Gallagher Avenue was unveiled on Saturday, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in attendance alongside members of the Gallagher family and civic leaders.
The unveiling took place on the same day as the launch of Cork Rocks for Rory, a citywide tribute to the rock icon.
The celebrations will include exhibitions, workshops, musical performances and a new walking trail of sites linked to Gallagher’s life and career.
‘Genuine rock star’
The Taoiseach said the renaming of the road at Cork Airport, which will form part of the new walking trail, was a fitting tribute to the musician, who grew up in Cork after being born in Co. Donegal.
“It is an immense honour to officially unveil ‘Rory Gallagher Avenue’ at Cork Airport,” said Mr Martin.
“Rory Gallagher was a genuine rock star who inspired people right around the world with his music.
“His legacy is one which reverberates across Cork, and it is only fitting that he is honoured in the city where he spent much of his life.
“I want to pay tribute to the Gallagher family and all those at Cork Airport and Cork City Council in bringing about this wonderful initiative in Rory’s memory.”
Tributes
A virtuoso guitarist, Gallagher rose to fame with the band Taste before embarking on a successful solo career.
He passed away in London on June 14, 1995 after contracting an infection while in hospital, aged just 47.
The latest tribute follows other streets being named in his honour in Cork, Dublin and Paris.
Meanwhile, there are statues of Gallagher in Belfast and Donegal, while sculptures in his memory have been erected in Cork and Dublin.
He has also been featured on a set of An Post stamps and a Central Bank of Ireland commemorative coin.
For more information on the Cork Rocks for Rory events, please click here.