August 16, 2008

Ronnie Drew, Uncrowned King Of Ireland, Dead at 73 Years



David Vance over at A Tangled Web advises that Ronnie Drew of The Dubliners has passed away.

Ronnie, and the rest of the Dubliners were deeply authentic performers of the old and the new Irish folk music.
Initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Group", the founding members were Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Ciaran Bourke and Barney McKenna. The change of name came about due to Drew's unhappiness with the name, coinciding with the fact that Kelly was reading Dubliners by James Joyce at the time.

Here, " And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda", one of the most affecting songs I have ever heard.

From the Independent

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

God Bless Ronnie Drew! A great Irishman...His music will live on!!