Popular comedy duo named as Tipperary Person of the Year

The 2 Johnnies have been chosen as the Tipperary Person of the Year by the Tipperary Association Dublin.
Tipperary Association Dublin President Tom Sherlock announced the award winners at a function in Dublin this week.
He stated that the two members of the well-known comedy duo, The 2 Johnnies, have been chosen as the Person of the Year Award for 2023 while Nenagh native, Brendan Graham will be inducted into the Association’s Hall of Fame.
Tom Sherlock outlined that this award acknowledges the special contribution and achievements of Tipperary people at local, county and national level from the fields of sport, academics, community and business.

The 2 Johnnies are a well-known comedy duo of Johnny ‘B’ O’Brien from Cahir and Roscrea native Johnny ‘Smacks’ McMahon.
They have become household names in Ireland - mainly from The 2 Johnnies Podcast, YouTube Channel, live shows and presentations on RTE 2FM. The live shows include TV appearances on Up for the Match, RTE does Comic Relief and The Late Late Show as well as performances in the 3 Arena, the UK, The USA and Australia.
The 2 Johnnies Podcast, started in 2018, has featured international guests like Eddie Hearn, Neil Razor Ruddock, James Buckley and Liam Gallagher as well as the best of Irish personalities like Tommy Tiernan, Joanne McNally, Roddy Collins and The Wolfe Tones.

In the past they presented a travel show called The 2 Johnnies Do America with a follow up show examining topics in Ireland. In 2022 they were selected to present a weekday drive -time radio show Drive In on 2FM.
2023 was a particularly good year for the duo. Their career went into a steep upward trajectory with an ever-increasing audience to their podcasts and radio programme.

PODCAST
Their podcast topped the Irish charts with listenership of over 250,000 listeners per week. Last September it was announced that the duo would front a new TV series on RTE The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In with the first show on 19 October 2023.
Their podcast was nominated for a number of awards winning the Best Comedy Podcast 2023 at The Irish Podcast Awards.
In conclusion Tom Sherlock stated that for the success they have achieved and for representing the best of Tipperary, at national and international level in the field of entertainment The 2 Johnnies are deserving of the Person of the Year Award for 2023

HALL OF FAME
Brendan Graham has worked in the competitive world of music and entertainment for many decades earning a national and international reputation in the music business. The fact that he has penned a long and impressive list of international hit songs and has won a number of awards at home and abroad clearly shows that he more than meets the criteria for excellence and achievement by a Tipperary person in the music business.
A song he wrote for Johnny McEvoy and the winning of the prestigious Castlebar Song Contest encouraged and launched him into a stellar career of composing and writing.

His achievement of winning the Eurovision twice with Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids in 1994, sung by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan and with The Voice in 1996 sung by Eimear Quinn puts him on a pedestal with some of the best songwriters/composers in the world.
His best-known song You Raise Me Up has been covered by different artists one thousand times and is translated into over 50 languages. It was a No.1 hit for Josh Groban in the States and an international hit for Westlife and has been broadcast over one million times on American radio.

Tipperary Association President Tom Sherlock said that for reaching the pinnacle of his profession on the world stage and bringing honour to Nenagh and Tipperary on the national and international stage, Brendan Graham was worthy to be inducted into the Tipperary Hall of Fame by the Tipperary Association Dublin,
PRESENTATION
The awards will be presented on Saturday, April 27 in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Newlands Cross, Dublin at 2pm.
Tickets €30 (including lunch) may be purchased from Pat Ryan, Hon Secretary, 11 Foxfield Grove, Raheny, Dublin 5
Tel.: 087 6376663 or proriain@gmail.com