A book—or should I say THE book—that all of Rory’s fans have been waiting for for three decades!

And who else but Dónal Gallagher could have written it? The answer is simple: no one!

He was closer to Rory than anyone else in the world. Having shared his life—almost without interruption—for over four decades, he was better positioned than anyone to paint an authentic portrait of the real Rory.

I devoured this book in four days, and I believe every true fan simply must have a copy in their library.

The only downside? It’s published only in English and German, which will likely drastically limit its readership here in France, a country not exactly known for its fluency in the language of Shakespeare...

Thanks to Ben Pester for sending me this book for free!

COMMENT I LET ON AMAZON

I have been a fan of Rory Gallagher since the mid-1970s. I believe I have read every book written about him, yet—as a longtime fan—I felt one was still missing: arguably the most anticipated and important of them all—the one written by his brother, Dónal. In October 2024, after attending the auction of Rory’s guitars at Bonhams in London (a deeply emotional moment in my life!), I decided to finally act on a long-held plan to pay tribute to him by creating www.rorygallagher.fr. This was the first (and only!) bilingual website dedicated to him (published in both French and English), and through it, I addressed an open letter directly to Dónal, hoping he might one day publish a biography of his brother. After all, who better than Dónal—who stood by his brother’s side for over four decades—could share previously untold details about him? And I have no hesitation in saying this: without Dónal—who handled everything so his brother could focus solely on the creative side of his career—would Rory have had the same career at all? I devoured this book in four days after receiving a copy from the publisher (a quick shout-out to Ben for keeping his word!), and I have only one regret: that it hasn't been published in French—unlike the German edition, which makes sense given that the German market is far more receptive than ours here in France, even though Rory was appreciated—nay, loved—by so many fans here. This magnificent biography is an absolute must-have for the library of any *true* fan.

A huge, immense "thank you" to Dónal, who for three decades has kept his brother's memory alive better than anyone else, pouring his energy into the task and sharing previously unreleased recordings with us. Dónal, this book is undoubtedly the final and most significant piece of the monument you have patiently built in tribute to your brother!

Sunday octobre 27th, 2024  

Jacques Mouchet, creator of www.RoryGallagher.fr - Sunday octobre 27th, 2024