Thomas Brennan (Fianna Fáil politician)

Thomas Brennan (1886 – 22 January 1953) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who sat for 9 years as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Wicklow.^[1]

Brennan joined the Irish Volunteers in 1917, was appointed Battalion Commandant of 4 Battalion, North Wexford Brigade and was involved in raids and other armed operations during Irish War of Independence.^[2] Taking the anti-Treaty side in the Irish Civil War (1922-1923), Brennan took part in fighting against National forces in County Wexford and County Wicklow. He was captured on 28 July 1922, took part in the burning of Portlaoghise Jail, underwent 23 days hunger strike, and was released on 11 May 1924.^[3] Brennan later applied to the Irish government for a service pension under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934 and was awarded 5 and 2/3 years service at Grade C for his service with the Irish Volunteers and the IRA between 1 April 1918 and 30 September 1923. ^[4]

A building contractor before entering politics, Brennan first stood for election to Dáil Éireann at the 1943 general election but failed to win a seat. The following year, at the 1944 general election, he unseated his Fianna Fáil colleague Christopher Byrne and took his seat in the 15th Dáil. He was re-elected at the 1948 election and again at the 1951 general election but died in office on 22 January 1953.^[5]

The by-election for his seat was held on 18 June 1953 and won by the Fine Gael candidate Mark Deering. At the 1954 general election, his son Paudge Brennan was elected for Fianna Fáil, beginning a 30-year career in the Oireachtas.

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