Brendan was born in the town of Wexford in the southeast of Ireland. He comes from a family full of music, and song, with Mother Mary Ross, a noted singer of light opera, and his uncle George Ross, all Ireland champion button accordion player in 1956. He learned to play Uilleann Pipes, the iconic instrument of Ireland, and as a teenager, he formed a local traditional Irish music band called Sonas, which represented Ireland at Festival Interceltique de Lorient in 1979 and 1980.
Brendan is lead singer with rock band, Cry Before Dawn, who was voted best Irish Band at National music awards 1989 IRMA. The band went double platinum for sales of their two studio albums. The band reformed in 2011. In 2025 they released a 6 track EP which went to number 1 in the Irish independent chart and number 2 in the national chart. They are still active to this day, and will tour Ireland in 2026. In 1996 Brendan with cowriter Paul Bell also from Wexford Town, wrote a number 1 selling EP, called the Hurling Songs featuring Dancing at the crossroads. These songs are now part of Wexford hurling folklore. Now living in Winterthur Switzerland, Brendan continues to play Solo and with Swiss Irish folk acts.