Brendan Shine facts for kids

Brendan Shine (born 2 June 1947) is a famous Irish folk and country singer. He also plays the accordion and has been a television presenter. Brendan is from Athlone, Ireland. He is well-known for his songs about everyday Irish life, like "Do You Want Your Old Lobby Washed Down" and "Spuds". He has had 40 songs in the Irish music charts and 5 songs that reached number one!

Brendan's Musical Journey

Brendan Shine started his music career when he was still in school. He played in his father's country band. He also played in Kieran Kelly's Ceili Band with his friend Johnny Dawson. Johnny still performs with Brendan in the Brendan Shine Super Band today.

Becoming a Star

Brendan first became famous for playing the accordion. Later, he started singing and became one of Ireland's most popular entertainers. In 1971, his song "O'Brien Has No Place to Go" became a number one hit in Ireland. It stayed on the charts for five months!

Top Songs and Performances

Throughout the 1970s, Brendan had several number one hits in Ireland. These included "Where the Three Counties Meet" (1973) and "Abbyshrule" (1974). Other big hits were "All My Roads Lead Back To You" (1976) and "How Much Time" (1977). His song "Do You Want Your Oul Lobby Washed Down" (1979) was a huge success. It stayed at number one for six weeks! Brendan even performed this song for Pope John Paul II when the Pope visited Ireland.

Television Appearances

Besides singing, Brendan Shine has also hosted several TV shows in Ireland. In the 1980s, he presented Nice and Easy and later Shine On. He also appeared on popular shows like The Late Late Show. In the 1990s, he was a regular guest on The Lyrics Board. He performed many of his songs on music and chat shows.

Later Career Highlights

In 1998, Brendan released a new song called "The Celtic Tiger". Later that year, his daughter Emily Shine joined his band. Brendan also won the World Country Award for the second year in a row.

In 2007, Brendan had a big comeback hit called "Grandad". It stayed on the Irish charts for four weeks. In 2010, Brendan Shine received a special award called The Freedom of Roscommon Award. This is the highest honor a civilian can get in County Roscommon. It recognized his amazing musical achievements over 43 years. He was only the second person ever to receive this award!

Brendan's most recent album, Where Did You Meet Her, was released in 2012. He also released a DVD called Lily of the West at the same time.

Brendan's Music Albums

Brendan Shine has released many albums throughout his career. Here are some of them:

• Céili House (1973)
• This is Brendan Shine (1974)
• Country and Irish (1975)
• Irish Startime (1978)
• The Irish Side of Brendan Shine (1980)
• Nice and Easy (1983)
• Magic Moments with... (1989)
• Always a Welcome (1992)
• Far Far Away (2003)
• Grandad (The First Time I Heard Him Say) & Other Family Favourites
• Where Did You Meet Her (2012)

Popular Collections

Brendan has also released special collections of his best songs:

• The Best of Brendan Shine (1971)
• The Brendan Shine Collection (1983) – This album was very popular in the UK.
• The Very Best Of Brendan Shine (1998) – This collection reached number 8 in Ireland.

Videos and DVDs

You can also watch Brendan Shine perform on his videos and DVDs:

• Brendan Shine
• At Home In Ireland (2007)
• Shine On (2007)
• Live at Blazers (2007)
• Lily of the West (2012)

Hit Singles

Brendan Shine has had many hit songs. Here are some of his most famous singles:

• "Sailor Boy" (1970)
• "A Bunch of Violets Blue" (1970)
• "O'Brien Has No Place to Go" (1971) – Number 1 in Ireland!
• "Where The 3 Counties Meet" (1973) – Number 1 in Ireland!
• "Abbeyshrule" (1974) – Number 1 in Ireland!
• "All My Roads Lead Back to You" (1976) – Number 1 in Ireland!
• "How Much Time" (1977)
• "Do You Want Your Oul Lobby Washed Down" (1979) – Number 1 in Ireland!
• "Carrots" (1980)
• "Rinka" (1991)
• "The Celtic Tiger" (1997)
• "Grandad" (2007)
• "Where Did You Meet Her" (2012)