Fin Costello may not be a familiar name to many music fans, but the mans work is ensconced in millions of peoples records collection the world over.

He’s worked with some of the most legendary and influential names in the music business, including the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, The Police, Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple and Kiss (to name but a few) in a career spanning nearly 40 years.

He’s done remarkably well in the business considering his only effort at playing an instrument was, by his own admission, a none-starter. “I tried playing the trumpet when I was younger, but I was never any good,” he recalls. Never the less, Fin was to become an important figure on the rock & roll frontline, albeit in another capacity, one that is now considered an integral factor in the industry.

His instrument of choice was the camera-lens, and it was through this lens that Fin so successfully documented the rise in fortunes of rock music as a cultural phenomenon, his candid shots shedding new light on his subjects out of the limelight, while also capturing them the way the general public knew and recognised them  - as stars and performers on stage.

The camera has taken Fin across the globe, from Cork to Morocco, London to the US via all imaginable points in between. Now back home in Cork, Fins work will once again go under the microscope when a new book shedding light on another equally successful Cork music export, the legendary and beloved Rory Gallagher, hits the shelves.

Rory Gallagher: The Ultimate Performer remembers the great blues guitarist at his untouchable peak. It compiles shots  taken at number of memorable concerts both here in Ireland as well as in the US and the UK and is sure to bring back many fond memories for the legions of Gallagher fans here in Cork.

It was while working in London in the late 60s, that he was first caught up and swept away by the then burgeoning rock scene. “I was actually born in Glenamaddy in Galway,” he says, “but I grew-up in Cork by St Lukes. I emigrated to London  when I was 19 years old and took up a trade as a sailmaker. I first took up photography in 1966 as a hobby, but discovered I had something of an aptitude for it. I initially began working for magazines as a sports photographer, but soon moved onto working with bands”.

In 1971, Fin got his big break. As with much of the great photography, it was a case of being in the right place at the right time. “ It was 1971 and a friend of mine asked me to come along and photograph some bands at a gig. The venue was a famous place called the Roundhouse, where many established and upcoming bands would play.  The gig itself was a real hippy affair. It would start at 12 noon and continue on  through to 12 that night, with band after band getting up on stage to play a few songs. The band I was photographing were called Argent. Fortunately for me, they were about to have a huge hit with the song ‘Hold Your Head Up’, My photos were used on the albums artwork and within a month I was taking photos for the likes of Uriah Heep, Humble Pie and Deep Purple.”

Things started to happen for Fin, who was fast becoming one of the most in-demand photographers in rock music. And with all-due respect to the likes of Deep Purple and Humble Pie, who enjoyed huge success, there was bigger and better things to come for the Cork ex-pat. The worlds most successful and infamous rock’n’roll troupe were about to come knocking at the pinnacle of their creative prowess.