Paudge Brennan

Who was Paudge Brennan?

Patrick "Paudge" Brennan was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who sat for 25 years as a Teachta Dála for the Wicklow constituency, was briefly a Senator.

Brennan first stood for election to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil candidate in Wicklow in the 1953 by-election created as a result of the death of his father Thomas Brennan. While unsuccessful he was returned at the following 1954 general election, where he was elected to the 15th Dáil, and was returned at the next four general elections. He topped the poll on each occasion and by virtue of one of the largest votes at the 1957 general election managed to secure two seats for Fianna Fáil in the constituency. He was joined by his running mate James O'Toole.

He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Local Government from 1965 until he resigned on 8 May 1970. His resignation followed that of his boss, local government minister Kevin Boland, in sympathy with Neil Blaney and Charles Haughey, who had both been sacked from the cabinet in the Arms Crisis.