Folk legend Ronnie Drew passes away
Ronnie Drew passed away on 16th August at St. Vincent’s hospital in Dublin after a lengthy battle with throat cancer. He was 73. Ronnie’s distinctive deep gravelly voice was a mainstay of the Irish folk music scene for decades. Ronnie formed one of Ireland’s most successful and loved folk bands, The Dubliners, in 1962.
Ronnie’s unique voice had had great cross-generational appeal and he was a source of inspiration for the rock music scene in Ireland. Thin Lizzy’s first success, their re-working of the old folk song ‘Whiskey in the Jar’, came after Phil Lynott had gone through a phase of listening to The Dubliners’ records. The Pogues often cite The Dubliners as one of their main influences and they recorded and performed together with great results. Ronnie Drew and The Dubliners also collaborated with Rory Gallagher, The Hothouse Flowers and many other prominent artists.
Earlier this year Bono lead an all-star tribute to Ronnie, and released ‘The Ballad of Ronnie Drew’. Artists taking part in this tribute included U2, Shane McGowan, Sinead O’Connor, Christy Moore, Bob Geldof, Glen Hansard, Paul Brady, Damien Dempsey, Gavin Friday and many other well known artists.
[