Ronan Tynan, part of the trio The Irish Tenors, will be WVU s next Festival of Ideas speaker on Monday, March 19.

His presentation, Living Life to the Fullest , begins at 7:30 p.m. in the WVU Creative Arts Center Concert Theatre.

A complete listing of festival lectures is available atwww.events.wvu.edu

Tynans singing made him a star, but his personal story of triumph in the face of adversity has made him an inspiration.

Born with a lower limb disability, Tynan had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 20 years old. Within weeks, he was climbing the steps of his college dorm and, within the year, he was competing in the Parlympic Games �€both in track and field and as an equestrian. From 1981-84, Tynan won 18 gold medals and set 14 world records.

Tynans determination soon drove him to conquer a new field. He became the first disabled person admitted to the National College of Physical Education and then became a medical doctor, specializing in orthopedic sports injuries. He earned a medical degree from TrinityCollege.

Later, Tynan turned his attention to singing. Less than one year after beginning to study music, he won both the John McCormick Cup for Tenor Voice and the BBC talent show”Go For It.”The following year, he won the distinguished International Operatic Singing Competition in Marmande, France.

Tynans debut album�€a top five hit in two weeks�€quickly went platinum. Since debuting with The Irish Tenors, Tynan has become an international sensation.

All festival events are free, open to the public and produced by WVU students. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 293-SHOW.