Ronnie Drew

Ronnie Drew entertained the people of Ireland and the world as a singer an actor a storyteller and a legendary character the achieved international recognition and success as a performer but for many he remained above all the quintessential Dubliner they were distinctively Dublin they were associated with the one to what prior to Dublin.

[Bono ]Ronny's appeal could cross the generations as well as other frontiers well he was a mind man you know, he was a man you know he was out here and about not yet I found a most generous character a rough exterior a green kind in in hack you know even to the very end he'd still be my hero if you line them up like the hardest Manitoba's and so the hardest man in rock and roll just think of all the most obnoxious swaggering rock singers and it's a girl's choir next to Ronnie

True it's hard now to imagine what the traditional music scene was like in Ireland fifty years ago. There was almost a kind of an apology for singing old Irish ballads and were presented in a very genteel kind of parlor like setting.

Traditional Irish music certainly as presented by RTE, tended to be reserved and staid and extremely polite there were all kind of very nice kind of people that they had jobs and they had you know played fiddling the evening and little service very nice people but grant really taking any chances Ronny Drew introduced a voice that was not only original but shocking and the first time I heard his voice I was totally totally shocked I couldn't believe that a human being could could rent render a voice like this  shovel in a pub that his voice has been described as.

The sound of coal being scraped across the floor, the thing was something that he discovered he had naturally when he opened his mouth to speak, this is the sound that came out when you heard anything use of a seven-foot beret back and my bud it's the voice of a nation and all the road miles that nation has it's all our anguish all the melancholy it's not only explained by the rain and the Brits it's put it all in there it's all in his voice what my train said 25 what it wasn't what a rich hog the problem with the Ballad tradition can be sentimentality his just so stoicism and in the face but not running with the motion but actually countering the motion that's his power as a singer what I've heard of me Peck when a Russian shake and this place that he sang in yet was Deborah's law he was saying so you're like he was talking to you not all right and ain't better a car hey to play but what Ronny's first group had been formed in a Dublin pub he was our need an invited me .

permit singing our music to be played on its premises but I was all about to change and one night my name again and which have asked patio Donohue there was Christmas around Christmas could we play Ward's are just warm just born you know and it hasn't stopped since like you remember what that one song was I can't actually to tell you the truth but err who do not make up something yeah one probably Finnegan's Wake here wait Finnegan to make okay yeah no it all was Finnegan's Wake yeah lots of Honor filling in the wake one morning Tim would rather fall.

Ronny's ballad group soon recruited another extraordinary and charismatic singer he was just returned from London I already met Luke at the International burr just out he'd come home from England and we got into conversation and kind of hit it off hit the loop we go to Donoho's you know go up and have a drink Ronnie's group began to attract attention perhaps as much for their attitude and appearance as their music mrs. Finnegan call soon they were in demand all over the city and cake then - Queen generally speaking we're looking for Walker or looking for with no ambition to be what we're looking for we're all pretty much laid looking for attention look em well no I don't think they are extend Chapleau what we're probably looking looking to be loved or something I suppose.

Yes exactly, and looking to face looking to fit somewhere because like all my life I'd never fit in anywhere you know and so if we apply there you know be and then it just became a thing we did you know his way how was an album there was no formal leader of the band but Ronnie usually appeared as its frontman oh he's well dressed right he mastered that Savoy you know like good suit boy you know shrimp a ignore the rest of it yeah an end like he looked like he slept in his dustbin for a few minutes and the rest don't look like they'd be steadily slept in Gospels Oh night you know cuz you always look smart and arrested every not me it was always the frontman band was still called the Ronnie drew ballad group something that made Ronnie field somewhat uneasy Ronnie didn't somehow like to have I think you defer to it as the responsibility and case something to go wrong to be point under the finger of accusation at him Ronnie wanted a new name for the band it came from James Joyce's book Dubliners which Luke Kelly happened to be reading at the time he just said why don't we call it the Domino's wait that's her Pig what oh oh you went home on Monday night as the song that gave The Dubliners their big breakthrough caused some local controversy I think there was probably a bit of an element of rebellion and everything everything we did and her attitude was very much like take us or leave us this is just the way we are I don't guess any album still you cannot see seven drunken nights was banned by RT the song could be played or squalor but the English version was judged unfit to be heard by Irish ears .