star Barry McGuigan isn’t the only legend in his family. The boxing icon’s father, Patrick, was a well-known singer who even represented Ireland in the , reaching fourth place.
Using the stage name Pat McGeegan, he first rose to prominence in 1963 when his band The Big Four reached number 7 in the Irish charts with their single The Wedding.
Five years later, Pat was selected to sing Chance of a Lifetime, written by John Kennedy, in the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in the Royal Albert Hall. After placing so well, he came home to a hero’s welcome, akin to that which would be enjoyed by his son decades later when he won the WBA Featherweight title in 1985.
Following Eurovision, his performing career was boosted, and he released more singles. Despite this, he didn’t quite manage to top his early success, although his rendition of Danny Boy became very well known.
I’m A Celeb star Barry McGuigan’s famous dad revealed (Image: ITV)
However, he enjoyed a surprise resurgence in the 80s, even breaking America, thanks to his performances before his son’s bouts.
He would treat audiences to a rendition of Danny Boy before Barry took to the ring earning a whole new generation of fans.
At that time, he also toured extensively with a new cabaret group called Ringside.
This new success led to his invitation to sing the American National Anthem before the world championship bout between Carlos Santos and Buster Drayton in New Jersey on June 13, 1986.
Barry McGuigan’s dad, Pat McGuigan, was a well known singer (Image: Getty)
Sadly, he wouldn’t enjoy this newfound success for long as he fell ill with cancer in early 1987 and died on June 27, aged 52.
Speaking to the Irish Independent in 2017, Barry recalled: “My father, Pat McGuigan, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare type of blood cancer, at the age of 52.
He underwent surgery in hospital but sadly died nine weeks later. My family and I were shocked and devastated.”