Brendan Grace was one of Ireland’s most loved singers, comedians, and personalities, receiving particular notoriety for his most loved character ‘Bottler’. He had strong links to County Clare for many years, with some of the first gigs with the folk group, The Gingermen, taking place in Scariff and Kilrush.
Throughout the years he formed a very close friendship with the late Johnny Burke from Spanish Point and he was an avid fan of Shannon Airport, from where he and his family frequently flew to Florida.
One of the most popular TV shows that was connected to Clare was Fr. Ted. During Season 2, Brendan starred as the obnoxious Fr. Fintan Stack, which was one of the most popular characters to ever appear on Craggy Island. Considering his connection to the Banner County it was no surprise that Brendan and his family relocated to Killaloe and eventually purchased a local bar in the Town.
However, health problems were also part of Brendan’s life as he battled type 2 diabetes, with more serious health problems following for the funnyman as he was diagnosed with Cancer. He subsequently passed away on July 11th, 2019.
It’s ironic that one of Ireland’s funniest men was born on April 1st, 1951 and to mark his birthday Clare FM produced a very special documentary about his life and times, with a particular focus on his connections to County Clare.
