Erg Chebbi, Morocco

Dunes of Maspalomas in Gran Canaria

Avalanche deposits on a crest of the Kelso Dunes, Mojave National Preserve, California.

In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built either by wind or water flow. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the flow of air or water. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind. The valley or trough between dunes is called a slack. A "dune field" is an area covered by extensive sand dunes. Large dune fields are known as ergs.

Some coastal areas have one or more sets of dunes running parallel to the shoreline directly inland from the beach. In most cases the dunes are important in protecting the land against potential ravages by storm waves from the sea. Although the most widely distributed dunes are those associated with coastal regions, the largest complexes of dunes are found inland in dry regions and associated with ancient lake or sea beds.

Dunes also form under the action of water flow (alluvial processes), and on sand or gravel beds of rivers, estuaries and the sea-bed.

The modern word "dune" came into English from French circa 1790. In ancient times, words cognate to "dune" probably had the meaning of a built-up hill or citadel fortification.^[1]

Conservation[link]

Dune habitats provide niches for highly specialised plants and animals, including numerous rare species and some endangered species. Due to widespread human population expansion, dunes face destruction through land development and recreational usages, as well as alteration to prevent the encroachment of sand onto inhabited areas. Some countries, notably the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Netherlands, have developed significant programs of dune protection through the use of sand dune stabilization. In the U.K., a Biodiversity Action Plan has been developed to assess dunes loss and to prevent future dunes destruction.

Aeolian dune shapes[link]

Crescentic[link]

"Crescent-shaped mounds are generally wider than they are long. The slipfaces are on the concave sides of the dunes. These dunes form under winds that blow consistently from one direction, and they also are known as barchans, or transverse dunes. Some types of crescentic dunes move more quickly over desert surfaces than any other type of dune. A group of dunes moved more than 100 metres per year between 1954 and 1959 in the China's Ningxia Province, and similar speeds have been recorded in the Western Desert of Egypt. The largest crescentic dunes on Earth, with mean crest-to-crest widths of more than 3 kilometres, are in China's Taklamakan Desert."^[2]

Linear[link]

Straight or slightly sinuous sand ridges typically much longer than they are wide are known as linear dunes. They may be more than 160 kilometres (100 miles) long. Some linear dunes merge to form Y-shaped compound dunes. Many form in bidirectional wind regimes. The long axes of these dunes extend in the resultant direction of sand movement.

Linear loess hills known as pahas are superficially similar. These hills appear to have been formed during the last ice age under permafrost conditions dominated by sparse tundra vegetation.

Star[link]

Radially symmetrical, star dunes are pyramidal sand mounds with slipfaces on three or more arms that radiate from the high center of the mound. They tend to accumulate in areas with multidirectional wind regimes. Star dunes grow upward rather than laterally. They dominate the Grand Erg Oriental of the Sahara. In other deserts, they occur around the margins of the sand seas, particularly near topographic barriers. In the southeast Badain Jaran Desert of China, the star dunes are up to 500 metres tall and may be the tallest dunes on Earth.

Dome[link]

Oval or circular mounds that generally lack a slipface, dome dunes are rare, and these occur at the far upwind margins of sand seas.

Parabolic[link]

U-shaped mounds of sand with convex noses trailed by elongated arms are parabolic dunes. These dunes are formed from blowout dunes where the erosion of vegetated sand leads to a U-shaped depression. The elongated arms are held in place by vegetation; the largest arm known on Earth reaches 12 km. Sometimes these dunes are called U-shaped, blowout, or hairpin dunes, and they are well known in coastal deserts. Unlike crescent shaped dunes, their crests point upwind. The bulk of the sand in the dune migrates forward.

In plan view, these are U-shaped or V-shaped mounds of well-sorted, very fine to medium sand with elongated arms that extend upwind behind the central part of the dune. There are slip faces that often occur on the outer side of the nose and on the outer slopes of the arms.

These dunes often occur in semiarid areas where the precipitation is retained in the lower parts of the dune and underlying soils. Parabolic dunes are dependent on the vegetation that covers them—grasses,shrubs,and trees, which help anchor the trailing arms. In inland deserts, parabolic dunes commonly originate and extend downwind from blowouts in sand sheets only partly anchored by vegetation. They can also originate from beach sands and extend inland into vegetated areas in coastal zones and on shores of large lakes.

Most parabolic dunes do not reach heights higher than a few tens of metres except at their nose, where vegetation stops or slows the advance of accumulating sand.

Simple parabolic dunes have only one set of arms that trail upwind, behind the leading nose. Compound parabolic dunes are coalesced features with several sets of trailing arms. Complex parabolic dunes include subsidiary superposed or coalesced forms, usually of barchanoid or linear shapes.

Parabolic dunes, like crescent dunes, occur in areas where very strong winds are mostly unidirectional. Although these dunes are found in areas now characterized by variable wind speeds, the effective winds associated with the growth and migration of both the parabolic and crescent dunes probably are the most consistent in wind direction.

The grain size for these well-sorted, very fine to medium sands is about 0.06 to 0.5 mm. Parabolic dunes have loose sand and steep slopes only on their outer flanks. The inner slopes are mostly well packed and anchored by vegetation, as are the corridors between individual dunes. Because all dune arms are oriented in the same direction, and, the inter-dune corridors are generally swept clear of loose sand, the corridors can usually be traversed in between the trailing arms of the dune. However to cross straight over the dune by going over the trailing arms, can be very difficult. Also, traversing the nose is very difficult as well because the nose is usually made up of loose sand without much if any vegetation.

Longitudinal (Seif) dunes[link]

Rub' al Khali seen by the ASTER instrument on NASA's Terra satellite

Longitudinal dunes (also called Seif dunes, after the Arabic word for "sword"), elongate parallel to the prevailing wind, possibly caused by a larger dune having its smaller sides blown away. Seif dunes are sharp-crested and are common in the Sahara. They range up to 300 m (980 ft) in height and 300 km (190 mi) in length. In the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, a vast erg called the Rub' al Khali or the Empty Quarter, contains seif dunes that stretch for almost 200 km and reach heights of over 300 m.

Seif dunes are thought to develop from barchans if a change of the usual wind direction occurs. The new wind direction will lead to the development of a new wing and the over development of one of the original wings. If the prevailing wind then becomes dominant for a lengthy period of time the dune will revert to its barchan form, with one exaggerated wing. Should the strong wind then return the exaggerated wing will further extend so that eventually it will be supplied with sand when the prevailing wind returns. The wing will continue to grow under both wind conditions, thus producing a seif dune. On a seif dune the slip face develops on the side facing away from the strong wind, while the slip face of a barchan faces the direction of movement. In the sheltered troughs between highly developed seif dunes barchans may be formed because the wind is unidirectional.

A transverse dune is perpendicular to the prevailing wind, probably caused by a steady build-up of sand on an already existing minuscule mound.

Reversing dunes[link]

Complex dune: Dune 7 in the Namib desert, one of the tallest in the world.

Occurring wherever winds periodically reverse direction, reversing dunes are varieties of any of the above shapes. These dunes typically have major and minor slipfaces oriented in opposite directions.

All these dune shapes may occur in three forms: simple, compound, and complex. Simple dunes are basic forms with a minimum number of slipfaces that define the geometric type. Compound dunes are large dunes on which smaller dunes of similar type and slipface orientation are superimposed, and complex dunes are combinations of two or more dune types. A crescentic dune with a star dune superimposed on its crest is the most common complex dune. Simple dunes represent a wind regime that has not changed in intensity or direction since the formation of the dune, while compound and complex dunes suggest that the intensity and direction of the wind has changed.

Dune types[link]

The Great Dune of Pyla is the largest dune in Europe.

Sub-aqueous lithified dune (megaripple) from Utah.

Sub-aqueous dunes[link]

Sub-aqueous (underwater) dunes (also known in geology as megaripples) form on a bed of sand or gravel under the actions of water flow. They are ubiquitous in natural channels such as rivers and estuaries, and also form in engineered canals and pipelines. Dunes move downstream as the upstream slope is eroded and the sediment deposited on the downstream or lee slope in typical bedform construction.^[3]

These dunes most often form as a continuous 'train' of dunes, showing remarkable similarity in wavelength and height.

Dunes on the bed of a channel significantly increase flow resistance, their presence and growth playing a major part in river flooding.

Lithified dunes[link]

A lithified (consolidated) sand dune is a type of sandstone that is formed when a marine or aeolian sand dune becomes compacted and hardened. Once in this form, water passing through the rock can carry and deposit minerals, which can alter the color of the rock. Cross-bedded layers of stacks of lithified dunes can produce the cross-hatching patterns, such as those seen in the Zion National Park in the western United States.

A slang term that is used in the Southwestern States (of the U.S.A.) for those consolidated and hardened sand dunes is "slickrock", a name that was introduced by pioneers of the Old West because their steel-rimmed wagon wheels could not gain traction on the rock.

Coastal dunes[link]

Coastal dunes on the Kurnell Peninsula in Southern Sydney

Dunes form where constructive waves encourage the accumulation of sand, and where prevailing onshore winds blow this sand inland. There need to be obstacles—for example, vegetation, pebbles and so on—to trap the moving sand grains. As the sand grains get trapped they start to accumulate, starting dune formation. The wind then starts to affect the mound of sand by eroding sand particles from the windward side and depositing them on the leeward side. Gradually this action causes the dune to “migrate” inland, as it does so it accumulates more and more sand. Dunes provide privacy and shelter from the wind.

Ecological succession on coastal dunes[link]

Coastal dunes in Curonian spit.

As a dune forms, plant succession occurs. The conditions on an embryo dune are harsh, with salt spray from the sea carried on strong winds. The dune is well drained and often dry, and composed of calcium carbonate from seashells. Rotting seaweed, brought in by storm waves adds nutrients to allow pioneer species to colonize the dune. These pioneer species are marram grass, sea wort grass and other sea grasses in the United Kingdom. These plants are well adapted to the harsh conditions of the foredune typically having deep roots which reach the water table, root nodules that produce nitrogen compounds, and protected stoma, reducing transpiration. Also, the deep roots bind the sand together, and the dune grows into a foredune as more sand is blown over the grasses. The grasses add nitrogen to the soil, meaning other, less hardy plants can then colonize the dunes. Typically these are heather, heaths and gorses. These too are adapted to the low soil water content and have small, prickly leaves which reduce transpiration. Heather adds humus to the soil and is usually replaced by coniferous trees, which can tolerate low soil pH, caused by the accumulation and decomposition of organic matter with nitrate leaching.^[4] Coniferous forests and heathland are common climax communities for sand dune systems.

Young dunes are called yellow dunes and dunes which have high humus content are called grey dunes. Leaching occurs on the dunes, washing humus into the slacks, and the slacks may be much more developed than the exposed tops of the dunes. It is usually in the slacks that more rare species are developed and there is a tendency for the dune slacks soil to be waterlogged and where only marsh plants can survive. These plants would include: creeping willow, cotton grass, yellow ins, reeds, and rushes. As for the species, there is a tendency for natterjack toads to breed here.

Desertification[link]

Sand dunes can have a negative impact on humans when they encroach on human habitats. Sand dunes move via a few different means, all of them helped along by wind. One way that dunes can move is by saltation, where sand particles skip along the ground like a bouncing ball. When these skipping particles land, they may knock into other particles and cause them to move as well, in a process known as creep. With slightly stronger winds, particles collide in mid-air, causing sheet flows. In a major dust storm, dunes may move tens of metres through such sheet flows. Also as in the case of snow, sand avalanches, falling down the slipface of the dunes - that face away from the winds - also move the dunes forward.

Sand threatens buildings and crops in Africa, the Middle East, and China. Drenching sand dunes with oil stops their migration, but this approach is quite destructive to the dunes' animal habitats and uses a valuable resource. Sand fences might also slow their movement to a crawl, but geologists are still analyzing results for the optimum fence designs.^{[citation needed]} Preventing sand dunes from overwhelming towns, villages, and agricultural areas has become a priority for the United Nations Environment Programme. Planting dunes with vegetation also helps to stabilise them.

Examples[link]

Sand dunes of Khongoryn Els, Gurvansaikhan NP, Mongolia.

Africa[link]

• Alexandria Coastal Dunefields, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa ^[5]
• Western Sahara

Asia[link]

• The dunes in the Thar desert in Rajasthan, India
• Tottori Sand Dunes, Tottori Prefecture, Japan
• Rig-e Jenn in the Central Desert of Iran.
• Rig-e Lut in the Southeast of Iran.
• The Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes in the Philippines, particularly Paoay Sand Dunes.
• Mer'eb Dune (also written as Merheb) in United Arab Emirates, used as an arena for motor sports and skiing.
• Gumuk Pasir Parangkusumo near Parangtritis beach in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Europe[link]

• The Dune of Pyla, not far from Bordeaux, France, is the largest known sand dune in Europe
• Sands of Forvie within the Ythan Estuary complex, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
• Oxwich Dunes, near Swansea, is on the Gower Peninsula in Wales.
• Winterton Dunes – Norfolk, England
• Słowiński National Park, Poland
• Akrotiri Sand Dune, Lemesos, Cyprus

North America[link]

Gypsum sand at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Parabolic dune in Hoffmaster State Park. Note damage to dune grass on unauthorized trail in center of photograph.

• The Athabasca Sand Dunes, the northmost sand dunes in the world, located in the Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park, Saskatchewan.
• The Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert of California.
• Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado.
• White Sands National Monument, New Mexico.
• Little Sahara Recreation Area, Utah.
• Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana, on the south shore of Lake Michigan.
• Warren Dunes State Park and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan, on the east shore of Lake Michigan.
• Grand Sable Dunes, in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan.
• Algodones Dunes near Brawley, California.
• Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, on the central coast of California.
• Monahans Sandhills State Park near Odessa, Texas.
• Beaver Dunes State Park near Beaver, Oklahoma.
• The Killpecker sand dunes of the Red Desert in southwestern Wyoming.
• Jockey's Ridge State Park – on the Outer Banks, North Carolina.
• Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area near Florence, Oregon, on the Pacific Coast.
• Bruneau Dunes State Park - Owyhee Desert, Idaho
• Hoffmaster State Park - Muskegon, Michigan

South America[link]

• Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in the state of Maranhão, Brazil
• Jericoacoara National Park, in the state of Ceará, Brazil
• Genipabu in Natal, Brazil
• Medanos de Coro National Park near the town of Coro, in Falcón State, Venezuela
• in Nasca Province in Peru
• Cerro Blanco in Nasca Province in Peru
• Cerro Medanoso in Atacama Region in Chile
• Valdivian Coastal Reserve in Chile

Oceania[link]

• Fraser Island in Queensland, Australia
• Stockton Beach in NSW

World's highest dunes[link]

Sand dune systems[link]

The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (November 2010)

An example of fencing at Studland

(coastal dunes featuring succession)

• Ashdod Sand Dune, Israel
• Crymlyn Burrows, Wales
• Kenfig Burrows, Wales
• Margam burrows, Wales
• Studland, Dorsetshire, England
• Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park, Alberta and Saskatchewan
• Murlough Sand Dunes, Newcastle, Co Down, Northern Ireland
• Morfa Harlech sand dunes, Gwynedd, Wales
• Newborough Warren, North Wales
• Bamburgh Dunes, Northumberland, England
• Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, near North Bend, Oregon
• Circeo National Park, a Mediterranean dune area on the southwest coast of the Lazio region of Italy
• Winterton, Norfolk, England
• Ynyslas Sand Dunes, Wales
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan
• Fraser Island, Queensland Australia, largest sand island in the world

Extraterrestrial dunes[link]

Dunes can likely be found in any environment where there is a substantial atmosphere, winds, and dust to be blown. Dunes are common on Mars, and they have also been observed in the equatorial regions of Titan using the radar system of the Cassini space probe.

Titan's dunes include large expanses with modal lengths of about 20–30 km. The regions are not topographically confined, resembling sand seas. These dunes are interpreted to be longitudinal dunes whose crests are oriented parallel to the dominant wind direction, which generally indicates west-to-east wind flow. The sand is likely composed of hydrocarbon particles, possibly with some water ice mixed in.^[8]

Images[link]

• 

  A diagram showing the formation of a dune with a slipface

• 

  Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park

• 

  Erg Awbari (Idehan Ubari) in the Sahara desert region of Fezzan in Libya

• 

  Some dunes are suitable for dune-boarding

• 

  Sand dunes in Death Valley National Park. The image shows coppice dunes,which are formed around vegetation

• 

  A footbridge provides beach access and protects dunes

• 

  A sand dune in Namibia

• 

  A dune in Morocco

• Sanddune.JPG

  Sand dunes with scattered vegetation in UAE

• 

  Parabolic dune partially stabilized by marram grass

• 

  Sand blowing off a crest in the Kelso Dunes of the Mojave Desert, California

• 

  Cat Dune sand ramp, Cronese Mountains, California

• 

  Satellite image of dune fields near Luís Correia.

• Dunadopordosol.jpg

  Dune by the sea in Jericoacoara.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dune

• Antidune
• Barchan
• Earth science
• Erg (landform)
• Ice dune
• List of landforms
• Machair
• Masseira
• Médanos
• Sandhill
• Singing sand
• Strand plain
• Sand dune stabilization
• Cliff-top dune

References and notes[link]

• "Nouakchott, Mauritania". NASA Earth Observatory. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17168. Retrieved 2006-04-28. 
• V. Badescu, R. B. Cathcart and A. A. Bolonkin, "Sand Dune Fixation: a solar-powered Sahara seawater pipeline macroproject", in: Land Degradation & Development; 19, (2008): doi:10.1002/ldr.864.
• "Types of Dunes". USGS. http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/deserts/dunes/. Retrieved 2010-10-06. 
• "Summary: Dunes, Parabolic". Desert Processes Working Group; Knowledge Sciences, Inc.. http://www.agc.army.mil/research/products/desert_guide/lsmsheet/lspara.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-06. 
• "Fighting wind erosion. One aspect of the combat against desertification". Les dossiers thématiques du CSFD. http://www.csf-desertification.org/index.php/bibliotheque/publications-csfd/les-dossiers-du-csfd-english/doc_details/142-mainguet-monique-a-dumay-frederic-2011-fighting-wind-erosion-. Retrieved 2011-01-04. 

Further reading[link]

• Bagnold, Ralph ([1941] 2005). The Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-43931-0. 
• Anthony J. Parsons, A. D. Abrahams, ed. (2009). Geomorphology of Desert Environments. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4020-5718-2. 
• Pye, Kenneth; Tsoar, Haim (2009). Aeolian Sand and Sand Dunes. Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-85909-3. 

External links[link]

• Coastal Sand Dunes
• Magilligan Dunes, Northern Ireland
• Dune pattern identification, U.S. Army
• Treading Lightly: Minimum Impact Dune Hiking
• Dune Racers of the Empty Quarter – video of sand dunes in the United Arab Emirates
• The Bibliography of Aeolian Research
• Sahara sand dunes forms – as investigated by native offroaders from Egypt
• Gold Coast Dune Management Policy
• USGS page on dune types
• Great Sand Dunes National Park
• Photo gallery dedicated to the dune, by Nikbarte, the desert photographer

Ronnie Drew
Ronnie Drew in 2004.
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Ronald Drew
Born	(1934-09-16)16 September 1934
Origin	Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland
Died	16 August 2008(2008-08-16) (aged 73)
Genres	Irish folk
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, guitarist
Years active	1962–1974, 1979–1995 (The Dubliners) 1995–2008 (solo)
Associated acts	The Dubliners

Joseph Ronald "Ronnie" Drew^[1] (Irish: Ránall Ó Draoi IPA: [ˈɾˠaːnəl̪ˠ oː dɾˠiː]) (16 September 1934 – 16 August 2008)^[2] was an Irish singer and folk musician who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners. He was born in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin. He was best known for his long beard and his voice, which was once described by Nathan Joseph as being "like the sound of coke being crushed under a door".^[3][4][5]

Early life[link]

Ronnie Drew was born in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin in 1934. Ironically with Drew being so intimately associated with being "a Dubliner" he would somewhat tongue-in-cheek say that; "I was born and grew up in Dun Laoghaire, and no true Dubliner would accept that at all!".^{[cite this quote]} He was educated by the Christian Brothers. Drew used to "mitch" and cycle up to Leopardstown Racecourse. Despite an aversion to education on the part of Drew, he was considered the most intelligent in his class by schoolfriend and future Irish film censor, Sheamus Smith. Drew was a boy soprano before his voice broke.^[6]

Career[link]

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 after, went into the music business full-time. In the meantime, he had a number of short-term jobs, including one in the telephone exchange in Dublin.

In 1962, he founded the Ronnie Drew Group with Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna and Ciaran Bourke. They soon changed their name to The Dubliners, with John Sheahan joining shortly afterwards to form the definitive line-up. They would soon become one of the best known Irish folk groups. They played at first in O'Donoghue's Pub in Merrion Row, Dublin 2 where they were often accompanied by Mary Jordan on the spoons and vocalist Ann Mulqueen, a friend of Barney. Mary's mother, Peggy Jordan, introduced them to the Abbey Tavern in Howth, which became a regular Monday night venue for the emerging group. They also played across the road in the Royal Hotel. The group also played at all-night parties in Peggy's large house in Kenilworth Square in Rathgar and in John Molloy's flat in Ely Place, just around the corner from O'Donoghue's. Ronnie left the Dubliners in 1974, rejoined in 1979 and finally left for good in 1995, though he did reunite with the group in 2002 for a 40th anniversary celebration.

From 1995 onwards Drew pursued a solo career. He recorded with many artists, including Christy Moore, The Pogues, Antonio Breschi, Dropkick Murphys, Eleanor Shanley and others. He did a number of "one-man shows" (he was accompanied by various guitarists, including Mike Hanrahan) during this period, such as Songs and Stories, Ronnie, I Hardly Knew Ya and Ronnie. These shows consisted of stories about people such as Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh and Seán O'Casey, as well as Ronnie singing their songs.^[7]

He is also known for fronting a campaign to encourage the use of Dublin's light-rail infrastructure (the DART) and before that the "My Dublin" ads for radio stations 98FM and FM104. He narrated a retelling (scripted by Steven Byrne) of the great Irish Myths and Legends over a six CD set in 2006. He also narrated the stories of Oscar Wilde in his distinctive voice in a series released on CD by the News Of The World newspaper. Both were re-released as CD box sets in 2010.

On 22 August 2006, he was honoured in a ceremony where his hand prints were added to the "walk of fame" outside Dublin's Gaiety Theatre.^[8]

Declining health & death[link]

In September 2006, Drew was reported to be in ill-health after being admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin, to undergo tests for suspected cancer. The Evening Herald reported that Drew's apparent illness was due to years of heavy drinking. However, according to a fan site dedicated to The Dubliners, it was reported that he was undergoing treatment for throat cancer. (Drew had been a teetotaler for a number of years, with an occasional relapse.^{[citation needed]} However, he remained a regular smoker.)^{[citation needed]}

Ronnie appeared on Ireland's The Late Late Show on the 15 December 2006 along with Phil Coulter, where he discussed his recent health scares.

Despite his failing health, Drew featured on an album entitled Pearls produced by Niall Austin with work Drew did with Jah Wobble.^[9]

His wife of over 40 years, Deirdre Drew (née McCartan) died on 7 June 2007 at St Vincent's Hospital. She died just a day before Ronnie was due to return to performing after his battle with cancer, at the Legends of Irish Folk concert with Johnny McEvoy, Ralph McTell and Finbar Furey.^[10]

On 25 October 2007, Ronnie Drew appeared on Ryan Confidential on RTÉ 1 to give an interview about his role in The Dubliners, his life since leaving the band and being diagnosed with throat cancer. This was Ronnie's first ever televised appearance where he was shown bald and beardless. Later in 2007, Ronnie again appeared on The Late Late Show, where he again spoke about the death of his wife and his ongoing treatment for cancer.^[11]

Drew died in St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin on 16 August 2008, following his long illness and was buried three days later in Redford Cemetery in Greystones.

Tributes[link]

The Ballad of Ronnie Drew[link]

On 19 February 2008, a song was released called "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" performed by a number of famous Irish musicians. This included members of U2, Sinéad O'Connor, Christy Dignam of Aslan, Robert Hunter of the Grateful Dead, Kíla, Christy Moore, Andrea Corr, Moya Brennan, Shane MacGowan, Bob Geldof, Damien Dempsey, Gavin Friday, Iona Green, Jerry Fish, Paul Brady, Paddy Casey, Mick Pyro, Mundy, Chris de Burgh, Ronan Keating, Jack L, Eleanor Shanley, Mary Black, Declan O'Rourke, Mary Coughlan, and Joe Elliott of Def Leppard as well as The Dubliners and The Chieftains.

The single was written to originally include Ronnie himself but was changed to be a tribute to him as his health was declining. Proceeds from sale of the single went to The Irish Cancer Society at the request of Drew himself.^[12] The song was performed live on The Late Late Show on 22 February with Ronnie Drew in attendance as an audience member, and entered the Irish Single Charts at #2.

September Song[link]

Also in 2008, RTE broadcast a documentary on Ronnie Drew in May - as part of its Arts Lives series. Called September Song, it featured Ronnie's recollections of growing up in his grandmother's house in Dun Laoghaire, the foundation of The Dubliners in O'Donoghue's pub on Merrion Row, the days touring the world, the loss of his wife and his own battle with cancer. Interviewed in September Song are his son Phelim, daughter Cliodhna, and friends and fans such as Bono, Billy Connolly and Damien Dempsey.^[13] September Song was produced by Oscar nominated producer Noel Pearson and directed by Sinead O'Brien. The name of the documentary comes from a recording of September Song, the Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson song made popular through recordings by a number of artists, including Frank Sinatra, which features on Ronnie's 2006 solo album, There's Life In The Old Dog Yet.

Other Tributes[link]

The Tossers, a Chicago based celtic punk band, dedicated their album On a Fine Spring Evening to his memory. Their song St. Stephen's Day includes the line "I could go on up to Wicklow and throw a rose on Ronnie's grave".

Flogging Molly lead singer David King listed Drew as one of the greatest losses of a musician, in recent years, calling him "A REAL folk singer." In a show in Moscow, Idaho.

Gaelic Storm names Ronnie on the song I Was Raised on Black and Tans from their 2010 album Cabbage. "I was raised on black and tans...on Ronnie Drew and Van the Man" is a line from the song.

Dropkick Murphys, a celtic punk band dedicated the song (F)lannigan's Ball to Ronnie during their set at the Reading Festival in 2008. Spider Stacy joined the band for this song. Spider Stacy and Ronnie Drew are featured performing vocals on Dropkick Murphy's version of (F)lannigan's Ball.

[edit] The Last Session: A Fond Farewell

In the final months before his death, Ronnie recorded a number of songs in a traditional jazz style. A number of stars from the music world, including Mary Coughlan and Damien Dempsey, joined Ronnie in duets on the album. It was produced by Hugh Buckley and released in November 2008 by Celtic Collections.

Legacy[link]

Irish President Mary McAleese said Ronnie Drew had brought great pleasure to people at home and abroad and had re-energised and refreshened Ireland's unique musical heritage whilst the Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen described him as "iconic".^[14]

U2 singer Bono said: "Ronnie has left his earthly tour for one of the heavens... they need him up there... it's a little too quiet and pious."

Solo discography[link]

• Ronnie Drew (1975)
• Guaranteed (1978)
• Dirty Rotten Shame (1995)
• The Humour Is On Me Now (1999)
• A Couple More Years (with Eleanor Shanley) (2000)
• An Evening With Ronnie Drew (2004)
• The Magic of Christmas (2004) (Guest Appearance)
• El Amor De Mi Vida (with Eleanor Shanley) (2006)
• A New World (EP) (2006)
• There's Life In The Old Dog Yet (2006)
• Pearls (with Grand Canal) (2007)
• The Last Session: A Fond Farewell (2008)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ronnie Drew

• Ronnie Drew at Find a Grave