It is with sadness Thurles and Tipperary residents learned this morning of the death of the much-loved comedian, actor and entertainer Mr Brendan Grace, who passed away at the aged of 68.
Born in the heart of Dublin in the inner city’s ‘Liberties’ area in 1951, he left school at the age of just 13 to begin work.
A regular visitor to Thurles, drawing massive crowds, Mr Grace had been hospitalised for the last number of weeks, while receiving treatment for pneumonia and for recently diagnosed cancer.
Mr Grace began his career in entertainment as an 18-year-old singer, joining a folk group known as “The Gingermen”. It was while with this band, he later added comedy to his list of talents, eventually turning himself into the hilarious characters of “Bottler”; “Fr Fintan Stack” and the “Father of the Bride”.
His hit songs included “Cushie Butterfield”, “Combine Harvester”, and “The Dutchman”.
In recent years although suffered from ill health, he had managed to divided his time performing between here in Ireland, England and America. In the past he supported entertainers of the magnitude of Ms Liza Minnelli, Mr John Denver, Mr Frank Sinatra and Mr Sammy Davis Junior, turning his sharp observations of daily life here in Ireland, into his hilarious brand of comedy.
As an actor, from 1995 onwards, Mr Grace starred in ‘Moondance’; ‘Father Ted’, and more recently as Big Sean in ‘Killinaskully’, before in 2015, starring in ‘The Gift’.
Adored by his fans not just in Tipperary, but all over the world, Mr Grace is survived by his wife Eileen, his children and grandchildren.
Requiescat in Pace
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