text: He sang lead vocals on the singles "Seven Drunken Nights" and "The Irish Rover", which both charted in the UK top 10 and were performed on TOTP. His voice was once described by Nathan Joseph as being "like the sound of coke being crushed under a door".
  Early life
  Ronnie Drew was born in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin in 1934. Although he was so intimately associated with being "a Dubliner", he would sometimes say, "I was born and grew up in Dún Laoghaire, and no true Dubliner would accept that at all!", a quip that Andy Irvine relayed in his song "O'Donoghue's".
  Drew was educated at CBS Eblana and used to "mitch" and cycle up to Leopardstown Racecourse.
  Drew was a Roman Catholic, and when asked in an interview with RTÉ about his faith, he stated that although he was a practicing Catholic, he didn't agree with the church establishment and its greed.
  Drew had also sung as a boy soprano before his voice broke.
  Career
  In the 1950s, Drew moved to Spain to teach English and learn Spanish and flamenco guitar. His interest in folk music began at the age of 19. When he returned to Ireland, he performed in the Gate Theatre with John Molloy and soon went into the music business full-time, after holding a number of short-term jobs—including one at Dublin's telephone exchange.