| Ronan Tynan | |
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Tynan performs at a USO show at Aviano Air Base, Italy, December 2007 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ronan Tynan |
| Born | May 14, 1960 |
| Origin | County Kilkenny, Ireland |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupations | Tenor (physician by trade) |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Associated acts | The Irish Tenors |
| Website | Ronan Tynan |
Ronan Tynan (born 14 May 1960) is a singer in the classical Irish style.
Irish audiences recognise him as a member of The Irish Tenors, while American audiences consider him most famous for his renditions of "God Bless America" at Yankee Stadium during important New York Yankees games, such as Opening Day, nationally-televised games, the last game at the old Yankee Stadium, and playoff games. Additionally he occasionally sings for the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres[1] and performed before 71,217[2] fans at the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic along with Sabres anthem singer Doug Allen, who performed the Canadian national anthem, on January 1, 2008, when the Sabres played the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tynan has not performed for the Sabres since Terrence Pegula purchased the team in 2011. He is also known for participating in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Paralympics.
Tynan was a member of The Irish Tenors until he left to pursue his solo career in May 2004. In this same year, he sang "New York, New York" at Belmont Stakes and less than a week later he was at the Washington National Cathedral for former United States President Ronald Reagan's state funeral, where he sang "Amazing Grace" and Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria".[3]
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Tynan was born in Dublin, Ireland. His family home is in County Kilkenny, Ireland.[4] He was born with phocomelia, causing both of his lower legs to be underdeveloped; his legs were unusually short (he is now 6 foot 4), his feet were splayed outward, and he had three toes on each foot.[5]:16 He was one of a set of twins, but his twin brother Edmond died at 11 months old.[5]:18 At age 20, he had his legs amputated below the knee, after a back injury from a car accident; the injury to his back made it impossible for him to continue using prosthetic legs without the amputation.[5]:84 Within weeks of the accident, he was climbing stairs at his college dormitory on artificial legs. Within a year, Tynan was winning in the international competitions in track and field athletics. He represented Ireland in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Paralympics, winning a total of four golds, two silvers, and one bronze medal.[6] Between 1981 and 1984, he won 18 eighteen gold medals from various competitions and 14 world records.
In the following years, Tynan became the first person with a disability to be admitted to the National College of Physical Education, in Limerick. He worked for about two years in the prosthetics industry, then went on to Trinity College, became a physician specializing in Orthopedic Sports Injuries, and graduated in 1993.
Encouraged to also study voice by his father Edmund, Tynan won a series of voice competition awards and joined the Irish Tenors.
A devout Roman Catholic, Tynan has appeared on Eternal Word television Network (EWTN). At the invitation of New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, he sang at the Archbishop's installation Mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral on 15 April 2009.
Tynan has performed in several events President George W. Bush has attended. Some of them include (boldface indicate those that occurred at Washington National Cathedral):
While real estate agent and prospective buyer, Dr. Gabrielle Gold-von Simson, was looking at an apartment in Tynan's building on Manhattan's East Side, Tynan made what was construed to be an anti-Semitic remark. Shortly after this, the Yankees cancelled Tynan's performance of "God Bless America" for Game 1 of the 2009 American League Championship Series on 16 October 2009 because of the incident.[7]
Tynan explained that two Jewish women came to view a neighboring apartment to his and the estate agent had said that they were very particular, and the pair had laughed about it. Some time afterwards another estate agent showed up with a potential client, with the agent joking to Tynan "at least they're not (Boston) Red Sox fans". Tynan replied referring to the exacting women he had met earlier: "At least they're not the Jewish ladies." The prospective client, Dr Gabrielle Gold-Von Simson, who is a Jewish pediatrician, took umbrage and said: "Why would you say that?" Tynan replied: "That would be scary", and laughed, referring to the previous incident. In response to Tynan's subsequent apology, the Anti-Defamation League national director, Abraham Foxman, said: "It is our belief that when an individual who has a record of good works, as does Dr Tynan, slips up on one occasion, a sincere apology should help everyone move on."[8]
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