GARY Moore, the Belfast-born former Thin Lizzy guitarist, could soon be immortalised in a statue in his hometown after a crowdfunding was set up to finance the project.
Moore, who was part of the band behind hits like ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ and ‘Jailbreak’, died of a heart attack in 2011, with the 13th anniversary passing on Tuesday, February 6.
The fundraiser is part of the ‘Wild Frontier Memorial Project’ which is a society dedicated to the memory of Gary Moore.
The crowdfunding page was created by Alex McGreevy, a Gary Moore fanatic who is keen to see the statue erected in his home city.
The page, set up on Monday, has seen €650 raised of its €10,000 goal from 23 donations.
Mr McGreevy, a PR executive and former journalist with The Irish News and the Daily Mirror, said: “Ideally, what I want, and what this campaign is about, is to not only recognise Gary and his talent but also to inspire people in the future.
“When young people come across him and his, and if they do that by virtue of coming across his statue in Belfast, then you know that it’s for a good reason.
“If it inspires young people to pick up a guitar or another instrument and play music, regardless of what type of music it is, and if they’re inspired by Gary’s story, growing up in troubled times and actually coming from a difficult background to achieve what he achieved n his lifetime then this statue will have done.”
“I followed Gary’s career from when I was a kid, went to see him in concert when I was a teenager and I was just always huge into Thin Lizzy and Gary Moore.
“I remember working in the newspaper when the news came through that he had died in 2011. I had to leave because it was almost like losing a best friend or an idol, I couldn’t work the rest of that day because I was just that devastated when he passed.”
Writing on the crowdfunder Mr McGreevy said: “This campaign aims to erect a statue of the former Thin Lizzy member in his native Belfast, dedicated to celebrating his music, talent and legacy, and inspiring future generations.
“We estimate the statue will cost approx €80,000 and are raising funds offline via tribute shows across Ireland.
“This campaign has the support of members of Gary’s family, Belfast City Council and local councillors.”
Mr McGreevy said that the SDLP, Green Party and Alliance had all voiced their support of the project.
Doug Aldrich of Australian/US rock band The Dead Daisies has also lent his support for the statue of Mr Moore in a video, uploaded by the ‘Wild Frontier Memorial Project’.
“Anybody who knows anything about guitar knows that Gary was a huge talent, one of the all-time greats,” said Aldrich.
“He brought everything, played with every ounce of his heart and you can hear it in all of his recordings.”
Aside from the crowdfunding element, the ‘Wild Frontier Memorial Project’ is also putting on two ‘Gigs for Gary’ events in Dublin and Belfast in the coming months.
The Purty Kitchen in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, and the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast will play host to numerous music acts on March 15 and April 20 respectively, with proceeds going to the funds for the statue.
