When Bing came to town
Thomas Conway recounts the magical time that a Hollywood star visited Nenagh
December 1941: World War II is escalating rapidly - Operation Barbarossa is in full swing; Japan has just declared war against the USA, launching an air-strike on Pearl Harbour; Adolf Hitler issues the infamous ‘Night and Fog Decree’, designed to target any person suspected of resistance to the Nazi regime. The entire world is in chaos. And yet, on Christmas Day, it was against this background of anarchy and instability that renowned American singer and actor Bing Crosby chose to release his rendition of Irving Berlin’s song, White Christmas. It would quickly become a seasonal classic, immortalising Crosby’s voice and remaining, to this day, the most successful single of all-time.
Amazing to think that such a comforting festive lyric was first released at a time of such raw discomfort and fear, but perhaps that was the very reason why Crosby opted to sing it in the first place. As a renowned singer, a pioneering musical producer, and an Academy Award winning actor, Crosby was among the most famous people in the world at the height of his career. Hence, his visit to Nenagh on July 3, 1965, was a landmark occasion for the town. For a few hours at least, Pearse Street was transformed into Hollywood Boulevard and O’Meara’s Hotel became a boutique Beverly Hills five-star.
The story of how and why Bing Crosby ended up in Nenagh on that July day is intriguing. A native of Borrisokane, Bridie Brennan had been working as a hairdresser in Nenagh prior to embarking on a radical career shift. It would bring her all the way to California, to the home of the Crosby’s - a Tudor-style mansion located in the San Francisco Bay area, which was sold for $13.5 million last July. The Scroope family retained a close bond with Bridie Brennan even after her departure to the US. Now a local business owner, Michael Scroope explains the family’s relationship with Bridie, emphasising her steadfast efforts to maintain that friendship from afar.
“We lived on Pearse Street in Nenagh, and my mother and Bridie Brennan were great friends. So Bridie actually stood for my brother Frank - she was his godmother. Frank would have been a year younger than myself, and unfortunately he later died in his forties, but the friendship between Bridie and the family would have been very close. She was a hairdresser at that time, but she then applied for a job as a Nanny for the Crosby family. Obviously her application was successful, so she headed over to America but she constantly kept contact with my Mum. She had a wonderful life with the Crosby’s though, to the extent that even when the kids grew up, she continued to live there. I actually still have the telegram which Bing sent to say that Bridie had passed away.”
That last line is poignant. One can only imagine the sense of shock which must have hit the recipient of that telegram, but unlike many other Irish emigrants, Bridie Brennan found a happy life abroad. Things worked out for her. Of course, we shouldn’t allow a joyful occasion such as Crosby’s visit to be tainted with a streak of sadness, but some readers will look upon that famous photograph and remember loved ones who have since passed. Unfortunately, Frank Scroope died in his mid-forties, but Michael’s memories of him are fond and grin-inducing. It seems that he was indeed a special character, sought after by global superstars and the like.
“When Bing came to Nenagh, he wanted to meet Frank. So Frank and my mother were taken down to O’Meara’s Hotel for a special audience with Bing! There’s a photograph of the three of them hanging on the wall of one of the theatres in Dublin. Frank was a year younger than me so he would have been eleven at the time. He was always well looked after!”
Touching distance
Many locals flocked to O’Meara’s Hotel that day, in search of a glimpse of the man himself. For every world famous, award-winning artist or actor, there are dozens of talented individuals who come within touching distance of Hollywood stardom, but never quite reach the pinnacle of their profession. Few do. Nenagh native Séamus O’Brien never embarked on that sort of career, but he himself got a fleeting touch of Hollywood on that July day. Séamus has become a proud custodian and researcher of old, often previously undiscovered photographs capturing Nenagh in times past. It is fitting then, that the 12-year-old Séamus appears in the foreground of one of the town’s most famous images, his face recognisable alongside those of his peers, all of whom were revelling in the commotion.
“He was a huge star, at the time. You see I had heard the night before that Bing was coming, so on the day itself, I wandered off down the town to try and get a look at him, maybe put a hand on his shoulder - you know yourself, just to say I had touched a Hollywood star! Now the Main Street wasn’t packed, I don’t think word had got out to that extent, but the crowd was there in front of the hotel, so myself and a couple of other lads my age managed to sneak in. We’re all there at the front of the photograph, with Bing in the background, so we were part of the moment!”
Personal accounts of Crosby seem to portray him as a pleasant and generous man, who managed to retain a sense of humility amid all the glamour and grandiosity of Hollywood’s golden age. What better place to reveal the authenticity of a famous figure than a humble Irish town? O’Brien can recall the days when another Hollywood great, Gene Kelly, would spin into Nenagh from his holiday residence in Puckane to pick up the newspaper.
Past, present, and future
If Nenagh could attract such revered stars as Bing Crosby and Gene Kelly to its streets, then surely it should be capable of enticing some of today’s biggest stars. So what does the town have to offer to modern-day visitors? In essence, plenty.
For starters, Tipperary was recently named as one of the best destinations to visit in 2022, according to the esteemed Condé Nast Traveler Magazine. Along with other locations such as Tanzania and Egypt, the county was celebrated for its cuisine and gastro-culture - a rapidly evolving feature of Tipp’s tourism sector.
As an accomplished chef and culinary expert, Gráinne Moylan is one of those who helped to elevate Tipp to the top table of the food and beverage industry. In 1992 she established The Pantry Café which is now based at Quintin’s Way on the site of what was formerly O’Meara’s Hotel. No surprise then, that the famous photograph of Bing’s visit to Nenagh hangs proudly on the wall within the popular establishment.
The pandemic posed challenges to The Pantry, so like many local businesses, Gráinne and her loyal contingent of staff were forced to re-adapt, shifting the focus onto take-away service but retaining their tradition of sourcing from local producers. Nenagh has evolved into a town of colourful cafés and well-established local businesses. What is striking however, is the level of solidarity between the various outlets. In theory, The Pantry should be in competition with other local cafés. Instead, they work in unison, as Gráinne emphasises.
“I was born and reared in Nenagh myself, so I’m passionate about the town and I’ve seen it grow so much over the years. Nenagh is fantastic for its coffee shops, its cafés, its delis, and I suppose I’d be in cahoots with all of them as well! Peter Ward and myself go back a long way, likewise with places such as the Foodhall, Simply Food, Marie Nagle in Cinnamon Alley, and many more. We work very well together. And not just the cafés - our pharmacies, our boutiques as well. We have people coming to the town from the likes of Charleville and Thurles. They’re coming from within a 30 to 40-mile radius, just to shop in Nenagh.”
The town’s culinary dimension isn’t just limited to cafés. Robert Gill is the owner of The Peppermill Restaurant on Kenyon Street, and despite the obvious impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on that particular sector, he feels that a sense of vibrancy is returning to the town.
The restaurant industry can be a harsh and unforgiving business, but more than anything else, it relies on a thriving local economy, and he feels that Nenagh is home to such.
“In our sector, you’re only ever as good as your last meal. But we’d be optimistic enough - Nenagh is doing very well as a town, there’s a lot going on here. People are shopping locally, we have a good café culture in Nenagh, we have a good selection of shops, great pharmacies, bookshops, restaurants. We have the whole lot in Nenagh, and most people in the town are employed, which is obviously important.”
The fact that Robert practically echoed Gráinne in his praise of Nenagh’s local business network should serve as evidence that the sentiment is mutual across the town. Of course, a sprinkling of multinational enterprise is always beneficial, as are visits from famous global superstars. Whether Nenagh will enjoy another Crosby-like experience in the near future is anyone's guess.