Dublin People - Seamus Brennan dies aged 60

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Seamus Brennan dies aged 60

Wednesday, 16 July 2008

Tributes have been pouring in from across the country for former Government minister Seamus Brennan, who died on Wednesday morning (July 9), at the age of 60.
The Galway-born Fianna Fail TD died at his home in Churchtown following a short illness. The hard-working and dedicated politician served in three governments in a political career spanning 35 years, holding an impressive number of ministerial positions, including Education and Transport.
He was also a respected representative of Dublin South following repeated re-election in the constituency. On the morning of his death, the Dail observed a minute’s silence for one of its most popular, influential and familiar faces.
Former Taoiseach and personal friend of Seamus Brennan, Bertie Ahern, said he would miss him greatly.
“Both Seamus and I served together at the cabinet table,” he said. “He was a minister with impeccable judgement, great political instincts and a real appetite for hard work.
“Seamus was a brilliant colleague and a good friend. In recent times, he faced a serious illness with good grace and great courage. I will miss him greatly.”
Meanwhile, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said that Seamus Brennan “brought a deep human understanding to all aspects of politics and could always be relied upon to respond in a calm and measured way to any crisis.”
Born in Galway in February 1948, the son of a builder attended an all-Irish speaking primary school and later, the Patrician Brothers-run St Joseph’s College.
Loyalty
He quickly developed an interest in politics and an unshakable loyalty to Fianna Fail that would prove instrumental in both tackling and contributing to the many challenges faced by the party.
In the early 1970s he was appointed as Secretary General of Fianna Fail, and began to revamp the party structure by setting up a national executive.
The qualified accountant introduced and applied relatively new tactics, such as marketing strategies and opinion polls in the 1977 general election that saw Fianna Fail win by the largest ever parliamentary majority by any political party.
He was elected to the Dail for the Dublin South constituency in 1981, which he continued to represent until his death.
When Desmond O’Malley split from Fianna Fail to form the Progressive Democrats, it was widely believed that Seamus Brennan would join, following his support of O’Malley as one of the ‘Gang of 22’, a group of TDs opposed to Charles Haughey’s leadership. However, Brennan’s loyalties to the party were steadfast.
In 1987, the qualified accountant began a significant ministerial career when he was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Industry and Commerce. He became a full cabinet minister two years later when he was appointed Minister for Tourism and Transport.
Opposition

One of only a few ministers of Haughey’s cabinet to be included in Albert Reynolds’ new government in 1992, he was appointed Minister of Education before being demoted to Minister of State for Commerce and Technology a year later.
When Fianna Fail were in opposition in 1995, he was designated the party’s spokesman for Transport, Energy and Communications. His experience in this role prepared him for his second appointment as Minister of Transport in 2002, where he oversaw the development and the construction of the Luas system.
Despite a political career speckled with ministerial moves, it was his transfer to Minister for Social and Family Affairs in the 2004 cabinet reshuffle that caused the most disaffection between him and the Government.
In the 2007 general election, he was awarded the post of Minister for Art, Sport and Tourism after a remarkable victory in Dublin South. However, his ministerial career was overshadowed last month due to his poor health.
Seamus Brennan is survived by his wife Ann, their two sons and four daughters.

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