A GREENOCK stained glass artist and musician has been gifted a copy of his hero Rory Gallagher’s iconic guitar.

Alec Galloway, right, received the present after being asked by the rock star’s brother Donal to produce a piece of glass artwork for global giant Fender USA.

His creation will hang in the conference suite of the Rory Gallagher Conference Room at Fender’s headquarters in Arizona.

Alec, 51, said: “It was a real honour for Donal to ask me to do the work for Fender.

“There are a lot of Rory Gallagher fans and lots of artists who do tributes to him, so I was really bowled over.”

He says he was also overwhelmed to receive the guitar as a thankyou.

Alec said: “I wasn’t expecting this at all - I wish I could play it like him!

“It’s an exact replica of his Fender Stratocaster, complete with scratches and cracks.

“It was played by a guy in an Irish show band in the 1950s and he bought it in Ireland in 1961. Rory played it all his life.”

Alec, who plays with two bands, The Pies and The Lazarenkos, has become good friends with Donal through his Axis project, where he makes glass panels featuring guitars.

The project has been helped enormously through his friend, Gourock man Ronnie Garrity, who was involved in the music scene in London for many years.

It has has seen him interview stars such as Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, who was so delighted with his glasswork tribute that he is displaying a print of the artwork in his London restaurant.

Alec also visited Wilko Johnson of Dr Feelgood fame and has been in touch with former Smiths star Johnny Marr, who has sent up images of his guitar.

He said: “I’ll be visiting Johnny in Manchester in the New Year, he plays a Fender Jaguar and he’s been emailing me and he loves the project.”

Alec’s groundbreaking work has also seen him make a transatlantic crossing.

He jetted out to New York to speak to the sister of ‘Fifth Beatle’ Stuart Sutcliffe, who tragically died of a brain haemorrhage in 1962.

Alec said: “His sister Pauline sent me some memorabilia and a fragment of one of his paintings, which is very rare as hardly any of his work is available any more.

“That will be incorporated into his glass panel.”

Once complete, Alec’s glass panels will go on an exhibition tour.