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Ronnie Drew is a Dubliner by birth who started out as a boy soprano, until his voice broke at the usual age. He picked up a guitar and started really becoming interested in folk music at the age of 19. He would sing and play as a hobby between working as an electrician, draper's assistant, dishwasher, telephone operator and even teaching English in Spain. It was while he was in Spain that he learned quite a lot on the guitar in the Flamenco Idiom, and then returned to Ireland shortly after to work in theatrical shows singing. Ronnie has been saddled with a peculiar corncrake quality in his voice which has been described by various things including the sound of 'coke' bottles being crushed under a door. "I'm not sure whether it is a blessing or a curse, but at the moment I'm making a living with it." Ronnie met "Banjo" Barney Mackenna [sic] about six years ago and the two of them teamed up in various shows until a few drinking and music sessions brought them together with Ciaron [sic] Bourke and Luke Kelley [sic].

source: Concert Program [circa 1967]

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Ronnie Drew is a Dubliner by birth who started out as a boy soprano, until his voice broke at the usual age. He started to become really interested in folk music at the age of 19. He sang and played the guitar as a hobby between working as an electrician, draper's assistant, dish washer, telephone operator and even teaching English in Spain for three years. It was while he was in Spain that he learned quite a lot on the guitar in the Flamenco idiom, and then returned to Ireland shortly after to sing in theatrical shows. He has a peculiar corncrake quality in his voice which adds character to such songs as "Seven Drunken Nights". Ronnie is the eldest of The Dubliners at 33, and is permanently surprised to find himself in the pop world. He is happily married, loves children, has black hair and beard, and the most photogenic pair of blue eyes ever.

source: Concert Program [circa 1968]

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Ronnie Drew was born in Dun Laoire and took up folk music at 19, after a career as a boy soprano. He tried many things before becoming a full-tune musician, including dishwashing and teaching English in Spain. He is, at 33, the eldest of The Dubliners, and is happily married.

source: At Home [Songbook]

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Ronnie Drew says he is not a Dubliner at all : "I was born and grew up in Dun Laoghaire, and no true Dubliner would accept that at all!" Incredible though it might seem to fans of his distinctive gravel voice, Ronnie began life as a boy soprano in a choir. That ended when is voice broke at the usual age, and there was a gap in his musical career until he was about nineteen.
Ronnie then began to learn about, folk music, and began playing the guitar. It was merely a hobby, however, since Ronnie was earning his living in a number of ways, none of them remotely connected with music : dishwasher, electrician, draper's assistant, and telephone operator. Perhaps the most bizarre of his jobs was that of teacher of English - in Spain.
That period of his life taught Ronnie a great deal about Flamenco and classical guitar, and it was after his return from Spain that he met Barney McKenna, and the nucleus of The Dubliners was formed.
Ronnie was with the group for more than ten years, and during that period, his name became a household word wherever in Europe folk music is popular. He went solo earlier this year.
"The Bells of Hell" is not Ronnie's stage debut, since he was in the highly successful "Richard's Cork Leg". He has also hosted his own television series.

source: “Bells of Hell” - Program

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Ronnie was born in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin, on 18 September 1935. He attended the local Christian Brothers School, leaving about the age of seventeen years. They were not the happiest years of his life. Despite his boy-soprano voice he was not given any encouragement to use his singing talents at school.
An apprenticeship as an electrician was the first of a series of jobs from draper's assistant, to selling vacuum cleaners and typewriter ribbons. He also washed dishes and worked in a telephone exchange. He spent three years in Spain, making a living by giving English lessons.
Ronnie's consuming interest, outside music, is horses and horse-riding. He will ride at every available opportunity and two of his horses have carried off prizes at the Dublin Horse Show. His involvement with horses came about through his wife Deirdre, or rather the stables housed next door to her family home in County Wicklow.
Ronnie married Deirdre McCartan on 21 August 1963. They are now living in Grey stones with their two children, Clioana and Phelim.

source: The Dubliners Scrapbook

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Ronnie is a Dubliner by birth who started out as a boy soprano until his voice broke at the usual age. He picked up a guitar and started really becoming interested in folk music at the age of 19. He would sing and play as a hobby between working as an electrician, draper's assistant, dishwasher, telephone operator and even teaching English in Spain.

It was while in Spain that he learned quite a lot on the guitar in the Flamenco idiom, and then returned to Ireland shortly after to work in theatrical shows singing. Ronnie has been saddled with a peculiar corncrake quality in his voice which has been described as various things including the sound of coke bottles being crushed under a door. "I'm not sure whether it is a blessing or a curse, but at the moment I'm making a living with it".

source: 25^th Anniversary - Tour Program