The death has been announced of Limerick showband legend and Ennis performing arts academy co-founder Tommy Drennan.
Well-known on the showband circuit in the 60s and 70s the late Tommy Drennan was a member of one of Ireland’s best known showbands, The Monarchs.
Born and reared in Janesboro in Limerick City he was educated at Presentation Convent before moving to CBS in Sexton Street.
His famous rendition of ‘O Holy Night’ was recorded while he was a boy soprano with the Redemptorist choir and is played widely across national and local radio stations every Christmas.
Tommy was co-founder of the Ennis Academy for the Performing Arts along with well known singer Pearl Kiely and has been sharing his passion for musical theatre with the youth of County Clare for 25 years.
Tommy Drennan’s music career began when he was discovered as a rare principal boy soprano, winning solo performances in choirs and Radio Éireann programmes during early childhood. He went on to study voice at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. During this time he was first prize winner at Dublin Feis Ceoil, did several half-hour programmes of classical songs for Radio Eireann, and also appeared regularly on UTV in ‘Teatime With Tommy’.
Tommy toured with ‘The Freshmen’ as their lead singer before returning home to front the Limerick Showband, The Monarchas. With an EMI contract, Tommy Drennan & The Monarchs became a household name with numerous albums released internationally and a string of hit singles, several reaching number one in the Irish charts including ‘Boolavouge’, ‘The Promise and the Dream’, and ‘O Holy Night’. UK and USA tours followed as did regular TV appearances on the Late Late Show and New Faces on ITV.
Tommy has always had an abiding interest in musical theatre playing lead roles in the popular Gilbert & Sullivan shows, Franz Lehar’s ‘Land of Smiles’, ‘The Fantastics’ and more. He holds an ALCM in Music Theatre from the London College of Music and is a member of the Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS).
Tommy Drennan is survived by Alice, his loving wife of sixty years and by his children Linda (McKeon), Tom, John and Brian.
The late Tommy Drennan’s funeral arrangements can be viewed here
