Comedian Brendan Grace has died aged 68

One of Leitrim's favourite comedians Brendan Grace has passes away.

The veteran comedian played in Leitrim in January this year and has been an annual favourite every year.

Grace announced earlier this month that he was cancelling a number of tour dates in July and August so he could receive medical treatment. 

He was initially hospitalised with pneumonia but it was later discovered he was also suffering from lung cancer. 

After starting his career as a musician in the 1960s, Grace went on to widespread standup and TV success in Ireland. 

His performances of much-loved routines like ‘Father of the Bride’ and ‘Chinese Takeaway’ built a loyal audience for his shows and his one-off specials consistently achieved high ratings for TV3, prompting the broadcaster to commission an animated special based on his schoolboy character ‘Bottler’. 

He also played Fr Fintan Stack in the Father Ted series. 

Even after he was firmly established as a comedian, music regularly featured in his act – he often closed shows with renditions of songs like ‘Dublin in the Rare Ould Times’.  

He lived in Florida in recent years, making regular returns to Ireland to perform.