A statue of Rory Gallagher will be unveiled at Belfast’s Ulster Hall.
Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee gave the proposal the green light at a meeting on Tuesday night and it will now go to a full council meeting for full approval.
It will be erected on the city’s Bedford Street at the side of the hall where Gallagher played regularly.
Rory’s brother Donal tells the BBC he is ecstatic at the news, adding: “Belfast was a musical home for him, it was where he left Cork for. He had been to London, toured all over Europe but he was looking for a place where he felt he was at one with the music and Belfast offered that.”
Gallagher dies in 1995 at the age of 47. A plaque in his memory was installed at the Ulster Hall during a special tribute concert in 2007.
He said: “There can be no doubt that Rory’s role in the story of Irish blues and rock music is immeasurable, and that his memory lives on, and will live on, through both his own unique talent, and the talent of those whose work continues to pay homage to Rory Gallagher’s great genius.”
