Twin brother of The Prodigals band member died in Haiti earthquake

Among those who perished in Haiti's earthquake last month was Andrew Grene, a United Nations political affairs officer whose accomplishments were all the more remarkable considering his age, 44.

Fans of The Prodigals, the Celtic-rock band which has played Tampa frequently over the past decade, may be more familiar with Andrew's twin brother, Gregory, the group's accordion player and one of its vocalists.

Last week, Gregory traveled to Ireland to lay Andrew to rest in Belturbet, County Cavan, where the Chicago-born brothers spent seven months of each year until they turned 14. Their father, a professor of classics at the University of Chicago, hailed from Dublin, 76 miles away.

"The piece of Andrew that I am most dreading missing, that I wake up thinking about, is the sheer closeness and laughter," Gregory says by e-mail. "We still would literally capsize in helpless laughter at each others' comments - it was as though not a year had passed since we were fourteen.

"To say he was a best friend elevates best friend to a status it doesn't quite connote for me," Gregory writes.

According to Andrew's obituary in The Irish Times, he was fluent in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. He was a speechwriter for U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali before becoming a political affairs officer, working on peacekeeping operations in peacekeeping operations, working in the Central African Republic, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

"He also helped to broker the historic peaceful transition of power from Indonesia to an independent East Timor," according to the obituary.

"His achievements in peacemaking were of an order that belied his young age and exceeded anything that might have been expected for the length of time he served," withes Gregory. "And, when he went to Haiti, he requested that posting. He believed deeply and passionately in the Haitian people's joy and spirit, and in their potential to compete on any world stage, if they could only be given a fair shot."

"Andrew had a degree of kindness, gentleness and humanity that can come off as saintly; but I am cautious about this, just because saints tend to carry a degree of sanctimony about them. Andrew was anything but sanctimonious," Gregory writes.

"He was a laughing, quirky, self-deprecating, awkward, galumphing saint, that exuded warmth and laughter," Gregory writes. "Much of this will sound like I am blurring his memory in nostalgia, but I am not. He was dealing with issues of international importance, but found time in the morning, unbeknownst to me, to carry on a longstanding email conversation with my 7-year old daughter every morning before work, a conversation about surprise parties, socks, and love."

Andrew leaves behind his wife, Jennifer, and their three children, Patrick, 21, Alex, 20 and Rosamund, 14.

The Andrew Grene Foundation has been established to educating Haitian children and to helping establish micro-businesses on the island. Go to www.andrewgrene.org for information on Andrew and for instructions on donating.

Gregory promises The Prodigals will return to the area soon, good news to fans such as those at Skipper's Smokehouse, where the band has performed a half-dozen times since 2006.

Whenever they're coming we all start shouting "Brilliant!" says Tom White of Skipper's with a laugh. "That's Gregory's word for "cool" or "great" or whatever.

"They're great guys," White says of the Prodigals. "Their friendship and music are so heartfelt."

According to Gregory, "the warmth of our Florida family, from WMNF to Four Green Fields to Skipper's Smokehouse, and all the deep kindness of the fans, has been hugely appreciated."