Brendan Grace
Brendan Grace | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 11 July 2019 Galway, Ireland | (aged 68)
Occupation(s) | Comedian, singer |
Years active | 1969–2019 |
Spouse |
Eileen Doyle (m. 1973) |
Children | 4, including Bradley |
Brendan Grace (1 April 1951 – 11 July 2019) was an
Early life
Born in the heart of Dublin in 1951, Grace was raised on Echlin Street, in the inner city Liberties neighbourhood. His father Seamus worked as a bartender, an ambulance man and other odd jobs to keep the family going. Like many young Dubliners of the time, Grace left school young to begin working. His first job was as a messenger boy, an occupation he often referred to in his live act.
Music career
At the age of 18, Grace formed a band known as the Gingermen. They toured Ireland in what has become known as the
Grace's hit songs included "Cushie Butterfield", "The Combine Harvester"—which topped the charts in Ireland in 1975, and in 1976 was a UK number one hit for The Wurzels[2]—and "The Dutchman".[3]
Acting career
In 1995, Grace starred in
He also reprised his Bottler character in a TV movie also called Bottler in November 2013. It tells of Bottler's exploits in his early years.
Personal life
Grace married Eileen Doyle in 1973. They had four children, Melanie, Brendan, Amanda, and Bradley. The last is best known as a member of the American metalcore band Poison the Well.
In November 2009, Grace released his autobiography, Amuzing Grace (
Grace was diagnosed with
References
- ^ "Catch Brendan Grace at the County Arms". Offaly Independent. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "1000 number ones: The Seventies". Music Week. 17 January 2005. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ Jaclyn Ward (1 October 1962). "Irish Charts Website". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Brendan Grace's Bar - Main St, Killaloe, Co. Clare, Ireland". IrishTourist.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Comedian Brendan Grace dies aged 68". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ "Comedian Brendan Grace has died aged 68". The Journal. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ Horgan-Jones, Jack; McMahon, Aine (11 July 2019). "Comedian Brendan Grace had 'the kindest, kindest heart'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ "'A true Dub who made everybody laugh' - thousands of Brendan Grace fans fill streets for funeral". Irish Independent. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ a b Rowley, Eddie (13 July 2020). "Brendan Grace's family scatter his ashes along the river Shannon on the first anniversary of his death". Irish Independent. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
Further reading
- "Brendan Grace: Ireland's Ambassador of Comedy And Song". ComediansUSA.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2009.