The Brendan Voyage
Legendary Irish comic Brendan Grace returns from his American exile to perform his annual Irish tour.
Paul Nolan, 07 Aug 2008
This month sees veteran Irish comic Brendan Grace take his new show on tour around Ireland. Grace, of course, has been a hugely popular entertainer throughout the country for many years, during which time he created many memorable characters, including schoolboy Bottler, the intoxicated father of the bride and singing priest Father Macgillycuddy.
However, his popularity hasn’t just been confined to Ireland and he also gigged extensively in the US, performing for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Liza Minnelli. Latterly, Brendan found favour with a new generation of comedy fans courtesy of his role as the decidedly anti-social Father Fintan Stack in Father Ted.
Though he returns to Ireland for a month-long tour each August, Brendan is now based in the US for the majority of the year. Does he do much gigging in America?
“Not a lot,” he replies. “I work a reasonable amount – I’m winding down now! I’ve actually just returned from Anchorage, Alaska, where my son Bradley is in a band. I met with him, and my production company is doing a performance video of the band, who are called Poison The Well. I just went along with them, to see how the pop end of things works. I believe they’ll be doing a gig here next year, please God.”
Did Brendan get a particularly big break that kickstarted his career in America?
“I got a break with Frank Sinatra in the ’90s, and I followed it through,” he responds. “A lot of doors opened as a result of it. I was booked to entertain him while he was here in Ireland, and he really, really enjoyed the performance. It was at a private meeting at the Horse Show House in Ballsbridge, and he and his entourage commandeered the pub for the night. Sammy Davis Jr was with him, and Liza Minnelli. Subsequently, I got an opening with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr’s management company in the US.”
What did Brendan make of both Sinatra and Davis Jr?
“Frank Sinatra was a very nice person. I found him to be a very gracious man, and certainly very generous with his time. I actually performed with him in America, mostly big theatres in the mid-west; Minneapolis, Missouri and Chicago. I never actually performed with Sammy Davis Jr; he died shortly after I met him. In fact, so did Frank Sinatra. I must have had a shocking effect on them!
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