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Paudge Brennan

Patrick Brennan (18 February 1922 – 10 June 1998) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who sat for 25 years as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency, and was briefly a senator.^[1]

Patrick Brennan was born on 18 February 1922 in Carnew, County Wicklow, the fourth among nine children of Thomas Brennan, a builder and politician, and Sarah Brennan (née Quinn). During the Irish War of Independence his father had been Commandant, 4th Battalion of the North Wexford Brigade of the Irish Republican Army, and later served as Fianna Fáil TD for Wicklow from 1944 to 1953.^[2] He was educated locally at Carnew national school and Carnew vocational school, and joined his father's building firm.

Brennan first stood for election to Dáil Éireann as a Clann na Poblachta candidate in Kildare at the 1948 Irish general election. He fared poorly, coming second last with 3.0% of the vote, compared to 10.7% secured by his Clann na Poblachta running mate Daniel Boland.^[3] He was a member of Wicklow County Council from 1953 to 1965.^[2]

He ran next as a Fianna Fáil candidate in Wicklow at the 1953 by-election caused by the death of his father Thomas Brennan. The by-election was won by Fine Gael's Mark Deering. Brennan was elected at the following 1954 general election, and was re-elected at the next four general elections.^[4] He topped the poll on each occasion, and by virtue of one of the largest votes at the 1957 general election, he managed to secure two seats for Fianna Fáil in the constituency, where he was joined by his running mate James O'Toole.

On 21 April 1965 he was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Local Government by the government of Seán Lemass.^[5] He was appointed to the same position on 16 November 1966 and on 9 July 1969 by the governments of Jack Lynch.^[6][7] He resigned on 8 May 1970,^[8] just two days after the resignation of the Minister for Local Government, Kevin Boland, and the sacking of Neil Blaney and Charles Haughey as ministers at the outbreak of the Arms Crisis.

Brennan abstained in a vote of confidence in Jim Gibbons on 10 November 1971 and was expelled from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party on 17 November 1971.^[9][10] While closely aligned with Kevin Boland, Brennan joined Boland's new party, Aontacht Éireann.^[2] He contested the 1973 general election as an independent candidate, but he lost his seat to Fianna Fáil's Ciarán Murphy.^[2]

He subsequently rejoined Fianna Fáil, and at the 1981 general election was elected again as a TD for Wicklow.^[2] He lost his seat at the February 1982 election, and was nominated by the Taoiseach to the Seanad. He was re-elected to the Dáil at the November 1982 general election, ousting Ciarán Murphy. Brennan retired from politics at the 1987 general election.^[2]

He married Mary Smith in October 1950; and they had three sons and three daughters. They lived at Main Street, Carnew, County Wicklow.

Brennan died on 10 June 1998 in Wicklow, aged 76.^[2]

• Families in the Oireachtas