Legendary guitarist Eric Bell brings his magic to Monroe’s Live

A founding member of Thin Lizzy, guitar supremo Eric Bell returns to Monroe’s Live on Sunday, October 20. Bell first played Galway in 1970, performing in Salthill, before Lizzy and Phil Lynott had hit the big time.

“I remember standing onstage and Philip coming over to me saying ‘dig the light show’. And there was one electric bulb on top of the stage!” he recalls.

Arguably Bell’s most significant contribution to the Thin Lizzy sound was the riff and solo for The Boys Are Back in Town. What are his recollections about writing that iconic piece of music?

“They gave me the finished song and there was no electric guitar, and they said ‘right, what are you going to come up with?’,” Eric says. “It took me forever to get the intro,” he recalls as he starts to sing it. “That took forever! And then the solo . . .

“At one point I said ‘I think you should get another instrument and play it’. It took me forever to work out all those guitar parts. When it came out first, I didn’t like it. Then I did, then I didn’t! Now, I can live with it. When I hear it I can go ‘that’s pretty nice’.”

Forty-six years after that Salthill show, and a stint playing with the late Noel Redding, guitarist and bass player with Jimi Hendrix, the unique Eric Bell is still firing out the riffs.  This is one for the rock fans.

■ Tickets €15/€10 online.