Ronan Tynan

A founding member of the Irish Tenors, Ronan Tynan's story would be inspiring even if he'd never pursued a musical career. Born May 14, 1960, in Dublin, Tynan spent three years in the hospital after a difficult birth that claimed the life of his twin brother. Raised in Johnstown, County Kilkenny, his lower legs and feet never completely developed, leaving him disabled; worse, at age 20, Tynan was forced to have both lower legs amputated after complications arising from a car accident. Undaunted, Tynan was walking capably on prosthetic limbs just weeks afterward; he graduated from medical school with a specialization in orthopedic sports injuries, and also designed prosthetic feet. In addition, Tynan became an accomplished athlete, setting numerous world records in track-and-field events for his amputee class. In the meantime, encouraged by his father, he sang on an amateur level until winning an award at Dublin's prestigious Feis Ceoil singing festival in 1992. The following year, he began to study music in earnest, and developed rapidly; in 1994, he was accepted into England's Royal Opera School. He subsequently made a name for himself on the festival circuit, and performed oratorio with numerous different orchestras, making his operatic debut in Madame Butterfly in Dublin. Tynan issued his first solo album, My Life Belongs to You, in Ireland in 1998, and it was a best-selling hit. Later that year, he was invited to participate in the Irish Tenors project, Ireland's answer to the Three Tenors; the trio achieved international popularity through several recordings and TV specials shown in America on PBS, and Tynan was profiled on the news magazine 20/20. Splitting time between Dublin and Manhattan, Tynan published his autobiography Halfway Home in 2001. The next year The Impossible Dream came out, followed by Ronan in 2005, which marked his departure from the Irish Tenors. In 2006, The Dawning of the Day, a collection of religiously themed songs, was released.