Here’s to You, Ronnie Drew (Update)
The Ballad of Ronnie Drew featured Moya Brennan, Bono, U2, Sinead O'Connor, Paul Brady, Mary Black and The Dubliners
Ronnie Drew 16 September 1934 – 16 August 2008
Ronnie Drew, a founding member of the Irish folk group The Dubliners, died Saturday, a family friend said. He was 73. Drew passed away in Dublin after a lengthy battle with cancer. Drew, born in Dublin in 1934, formed The Dubliners in 1962 with Luke Kelly, Ciaran Bourke and Barney McKenna. Earlier this year, a group of musicians — including Bono of U2, Christy Moore, The Pogues, Shane MacGowan, Sinead O’Connor, Moya Brennan and others — released a song called “The Ballad of Ronnie Drew.” All profits from the single went to the Irish Cancer Society. In a statement on U2’s official web site, it says: “Ronnie has left his earthly tour for one of the heavens, they need him up there … it’s a little too quiet and pious.”
UPDATE: Various tributes have been written on Ronnie Drew in recent days. For information, simply search Ronnie Drew on Google. As far as we know, there could well be a large obituary in The Journal of Music in Ireland, the JMI.
If you were a fan of Ronnie’s, why not download the single. All proceeds will go to the Irish Cancer Society. You can purchase the single at iTunes if in Ireland and on other download services worldwide. The video is also available at iTunes.
