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LAST UPDATE | 11 Jul 2019
COMEDIAN BRENDAN GRACE has died aged 68, his representative has confirmed.
The veteran comedian, who regularly drew large audiences to his live shows, announced earlier this month that he was cancelling a number of tour dates in July and August so he could receive medical treatment.
He was initially hospitalised with pneumonia but it was later discovered he was also suffering from lung cancer.
Brendan’s business manager, Tom Kelly, issued the following statement:
“Brendan Grace passed away peacefully early this morning at surrounded by his loving family. Aged 68 he will be fondly remembered by his legion of fans at home and abroad.”
After starting his career as a musician in the 1960s, Grace went on to widespread standup and TV success in Ireland.
His performances of much-loved routines like ‘Father of the Bride’ and ‘Chinese Takeaway’ built a loyal audience for his shows and his one-off specials consistently achieved high ratings for TV3, prompting the broadcaster to commission an animated special based on his schoolboy character ‘Bottler’.
Grace won over a new generation of fans in the 1990s as a result of his turn as malevolent priest Fr Fintan Stack in the Father Ted series.
Over the course of his career he also toured with Frank Sinatra and John Denver.
He had a number one hit in Ireland with his song Combine Harvester – later covered by The Wurzels in the UK, where it also reached number one.
Even after he was firmly established as a comedian, music regularly featured in his act – he often closed shows with renditions of songs like Dublin in the Rare Ould Times.
He lived in Florida in recent years, making regular returns to Ireland to perform.
Tom Kelly told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland the comedian was “one of the great entertainers of this era”.
“You could see at every show how people just warmed to him.
On nights when the audience might not have been very warm – that very seldom happened – he could turn around, pick up his guitar and sing a song with great authority.
Said Kelly: “All in all, we can look back with pride at Brendan’s lifetime. Great family man, very close to his family. Just adored by his fans all over the country and indeed abroad as well. His popularity spread right around the world.”
President Michael D Higgins said as a comedian Grace’s “spontaneous wit and his sense of timing, his obvious delighting in interaction with his audiences, meant that Brendan’s sense of humour was drawing from, and itself a profound contribution to, the deep wellspring of Irish wit”.
“His best-loved characters will endure, precisely because they are both recognisable and representative of the experiences lived and recalled by Irish people of all ages.
As President of Ireland, I express my deepest condolences to his wife Eileen, his children Bradley, Melanie, Brendan and Amanda, and to his wider family and his friends, and all who valued his acuity and sharp sense of humour.
Fellow comedian and Mrs Browns Boys creator Brendan O’Carroll tweeted this morning that Grace had opened doors “for so many of us” in showbusiness “and leaves a legacy of love and laughter that will echo through this land”.
O’Carroll added “we will all mourn his passing”.
Rest peacefully Bottler, you’ve earned it.
Comedian June Rogers told Morning Ireland that Brendan will be “sorely missed by a lot of people in Ireland”.
“He was very kind to me when I started out. There was one song he had called Bridget McCann and I remember contacting him and asking him would it be possible for me to use it. I was doing a show at the time and he very kindly gave it to me.
“He was very much a wonderful family man.”
Brendan was cast in the Father Ted series as the aforementioned Fr Fintan Stack, a role that brought him to a new audience. The show’s co-creator Arthur Matthews told The Ryan Tubridy Show this morning that he “always liked the idea of casting people I knew as a kid and was a fan of”.
“We didn’t write it [the part] with him in mind but he did an audition. It was different from what we expected but it was very funny.
“It was more subtle really and a bit more passive-aggressive than outwardly aggressive. It was really sinister,” Matthews joked.
He was a legend, he really was. It’s a big loss definitely.
RTÉ Director-General, Dee Forbes described Brendan as one of Ireland’s original funnymen and pioneer of Irish comedy.
“While there are now many Irish comedians who are household names, Brendan emerged as a talent during an era when there were very few established Irish comedians.
Importantly, he also paved the way for many of the wonderful comedians this country has produced over the last 20 years or so and leaves behind a legacy he and his family can be proud of. He will be deeply missed. My thoughts and those of his many friends and fans across RTÉ are with his family and friends at this sad time.
In October 2018, to mark Brendan’s 50 years in the entertainment business, RTÉ screened the documentary, Brendan Grace – Funny Man. The documentary will be repeated at 10.15pm on RTÉ One tonight.
Dublin City Council has opened a book of condolence for fans to pay their respects to the much loved Dublin comedian.
Lord Mayor Paul McAuliffe described Brendan as “a true Dubliner who captured the unique Dublin sense of humour and brought it to audiences at home and across the world”.
The Mansion House will be open to the public today from 12 noon until 5pm and from 10am to 5pm tomorrow.
Brendan is survived by his wife Eileen, children and grandchildren.
- With reporting from Adam Daly
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Did anyone explain the rules of fight club to these people!
@Darren Ahern: Seems they did… hence no one’s talkin’ about it!?
@Joe Phillips: they made a Snapchat group about it sure that’s worse than talking about it!
@Darren Ahern: They are cowards, gangs attacking one or two people, not really a fight club.
@Darren Ahern: Haha! Good point
Although I don’t remember hearin’ Tyler Durden mention snapchat so, technically…
@Darren Ahern: came here for this comment. Was not disappointed
People don’t report stuff because Guards do nothing about it the majority of the time. And if they do something, the courts don’t follow through. There is no justice for victims in Ireland.
Can’t do anything if it’s not reported.
@Anthony: Can’t do anything when crimes are reported either apparently.
@Carol Oates: moral of the story: never try
@Carol Oates: “apparently”
@Carol Oates: something tells me you want to see more criminals doing porridge.
@Carol Oates: I didnt know Ireland has a 0% crime detection rate…….. why have you hidden this from us for so long… all wise and powerful one
@Carol Oates: It’s sadly true. Someone without a previous conviction would likely be given a suspended sentence for assault in this country, if it can even be proven through the courts. For victims the idea of taking on a gang like this when none of them are taken off the streets is terrifying since the chances of them or one of their comrades coming for revenge is high.
@Carol Oates: all the gardai do is issue speeding fines
@Rochelle: Exactly right.
I’m in no way condoning any of the behaviour described here but I cannot imagine what my childhood would have been like if all the fights that went on when I was young had been filmed.
Two opposing schools fighting down the park….. fights after school….
Can’t say I can think of strangers ever being randomly attacked but there was a lot of fights when I was young that I’m very glad there is no evidence of today.
@Bob Earner: I always get a chuckle out of the “kids these days”’comments from older generations. The same stuff and worse went on back the. Just there wasn’t cameras everywhere to record it or social media to share it
@Kian: It’s the weirdest form of amnesia!!
Can you imagine if every fight resulted in a criminal assault charge!? 60% of my school would have been up in front of the Childrens Panel!
@Bob Earner: There has always been fights after school. But these youths seem to be recording random vicious assaults just for the fun of it. A big difference.
@Kian: ha exactly. If there’s a gun attack : jaysus the worst I ever saw was a knife.
If there’s a knife attack : why can’t they just use their God given fists the cowards!
Use fists : what is wrong with these monsters bring back the rope
@Bob Earner: War of the Buttons is a classic Irish children’s film about two rival schools baiting lumps out if each other.
any shyte bag who randomly attacks someone should be tarred, feathered and forced into the wilderness to fend for themselves
@Eon Cocker: and blow we go live to the 1700s
@Seriously stunned: and now we go live to the 1700s.
Gardai are only getting involved and making a statement in the media because it’s in the public eye and they have to be seen to be doing something. Especially after the recent stats on young offenders getting away with a slew of crimes. They couldn’t care less about teenagers fighting, in reality.
Don’t bother reporting it to the guards they are useless. I witnessed a car being broken into at the weekend rang the guards to report it & they never came, an hour later my wife rang back & reported it again, they never came and now the car is just sitting there wrecked. The scrotes sat in it for an hour trying to get it started and then just walked away.
@Tom Sawyer: no money in responding to that.
@Pius Flynn: we get it you don’t like the Gardaí…yawn
We effectively have no police force in this country now as all their time is taken up gathering revenue for the Government by harassing hard working people going about their business.
No other European people would put up with this lunacy
@Pius Flynn: 10 people dead in 7 days on Irish roads! I think enforcing road traffic legislation is a worthwhile endeavour
Why do people insist on sh*tting on the Gardai when the article clearly states that they are pro-actively trying to sort the problem out?
@Pius Flynn: What exactly are you getting at? Hard-working people speeding; not paying tax; insurance; unsafe vehicles? And if you think that no other Europeans would put up with this, I invite you to try any of the above in France, the Uk, Spain or Germany. You might be surprised to find yourself walking home.
@David Irwin: it depends on what legislation you are talking about.
And anyway we have enough laws, we need training for young drivers, and roads that are safe to drive on.
@George Salter: In other country’s they have technology called number plate recognition, you were probably too busy shining the local superintendents shoes to hear about it.
In other country’s if the police tried to set up checkpoints like they do here, they would be driven across, and rightfully so.
If you pay your tax and insurance and you have a valid drivers license you should be able to go about your business unhindered.
The police have far too much power in this country, it’s a police state really.
@Pius Flynn: been stopped at checkpoints in Germany and Slovenia. Anymore “facts” you want to make up?
Make the statements before someone dies.
His name is Robert Paulson…
Could we not just get some undercover Gardai to join the group and go beat the bejaysus out of them?
have your say