Thin Lizzy fans will gather in Dublin this August to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the unveiling of a statue dedicated to the memory of the band's late front man Phil Lynott.
The 2.4 metre bronze commemoration of the singer was unveiled on the city’s Harry Street, off Grafton Street, on 19 August 2005 on what would have been his 56th birthday by Lynott’s late mother Philomena.
It was an emotional day and marked the culmination of many years of hard work for the woman who had dedicated her life to her son’s memory and legacy. On the day, she said, "I'm the proudest woman in the land."
Sculpted by Paul Daly, the statue was erected outside Bruxelles Bar in 2005 and hundreds turned up to witness the unveiling. It was commissioned and paid for by the Róisín Dubh trust, which was set up to commemorate the life and work of the singer, who passed away aged 36 in January 1986.
The unveiling was also attended by Lynott's former Skid Row band mate Brush Shiels and guitarist Gary Moore.
The statue has since become a Dublin landmark and a site of pilgrimage to rock fans from all over the world.
On 23 August, The Phil Lynott Convention will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the day, with events starting at 1pm with an open invite to gather at the statue to sing and read poetry.
There will also be a visit the city’s Rock and Roll Museum for a guided tour of their Phil Lynott collection.
There will then be music and stories in The Halfpenny Bridge from 4pm and live music at The Grand Social on Liffey Street from Swedish band Philomania, who have been playing Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy music since the 1990s.
The line-up also includes Rory Gallagher tribute act Deuce and Thin Lizzy tribute act Falling Hazard, who will be recording a song especially written for Phil Lynott and the forthcoming rock opera The Warrior.
in 2013, the Phil Lynott statue was knocked from its plinth and damaged by two men, who later presented themselves to gardaí in relation to the incident.
It was also damaged by a motorist in 2015.
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