Cormac Breathnach (1885 – 29 May 1956) was an Irish politician and primary school teacher.
Early life
He was born in
Iveragh
The Iveragh Peninsula () is located in County Kerry in Ireland. It is the largest peninsula in southwestern Ireland. A mountain range, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, lies in the centre of the peninsula. Carrauntoohil, its highest mountain, is als ...
,
County Kerry
County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...
in 1885,
and was known in his younger years as Charlie Walsh. He was the son of Seán Breathnach, a farmer, and Cáit Breathnach (née Chonchubhair). He was educated at the local
national school in Ballinakilla, County Kerry (where he was a monitor), and qualified as a national school teacher from the Marlborough Training College in Dublin.
[
]
Teaching
Prior to entering politics, Breathnach was a teacher. A fluent Irish speaker, for a period he was engaged by Conradh na Gaeilge
(; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...
to teach the Irish language and history in a number of national schools. Breathnach was also president of Conradh na Gaeilge from 1926 until 1928. His teaching influenced some of his pupils that later figured prominently in the Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
, including Dan Breen
Daniel Breen (11 August 1894 – 27 December 1969) was a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. In later years he was a Fianna Fáil politician.
Background
Breen was born in Grange ...
, Seán Treacy
Seán Treacy (; John Allis Treacy; 14 February 1895 – 14 October 1920) was one of the leaders of the Third Tipperary Brigade of the IRA during the Irish War of Independence and one of a small group whose actions initiated that conflict i ...
, Seán Hogan
Seán Hogan (; 13 May 1901 – 24 December 1968) was one of the leaders of the 3rd Tipperary Brigade of the Irish Republican Army during the War of Independence.
Early life
Hogan was born on 13 May 1901, the elder child of Matthew Hogan of G ...
, and Dinny Lacey.
In his autobiography, Breen noted: "He did not confine his history lesson to the official textbook. He gave us the naked facts about the English conquest of Ireland and the manner in which our country was held in bondage. We learned about the Penal Laws
Penal law refers to criminal law.
It may also refer to:
* Penal law (British), laws to uphold the establishment of the Church of England against Catholicism
* Penal laws (Ireland)
In Ireland, the penal laws () were a series of Disabilities (C ...
, the systematic ruining of Irish trade, and the elimination of our native language. He told us also of the ruthless manner in which Irish rebellions had been crushed. By the time we had passed from his class, we were no longer content to grow up 'happy English children' as envisaged by the Board of Education".
During these years he became an active member of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) (), founded in 1868, is the oldest and largest teachers' trade union in Ireland. It represents teachers at primary level in the Republic of Ireland, and at primary and post-primary level in Nor ...
and was unanimously elected its president in 1920, and again in 1932. In 1922 he played an important part in preparing the way for the introduction of Irish as a compulsory subject in national schools.[
]
Politics
In 1926 he helped establish the Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland.
Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...
party and was a member, and later chairman, of its national executive.[ He was first elected to ]Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
at the 1932 general election. From 1932 to 1937 he served as a Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland.
Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...
(TD) for the Dublin North constituency. In 1937 he moved to the Dublin North-West
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
constituency and served there until 1954. He did not contest the 1954 general election.[
Breathnach served as ]Lord Mayor of Dublin
The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...
from 1949 to 1950.
Personal life
He married first Kathleen Ryan, who died young; they had two children, one of whom, Seán Breathnach, became a district judge. He later married Bríd Prendergast, a school principal, and lived most of his life in Clontarf Road, Dublin, until his death on 29 May 1956.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breathnach, Cormac
1885 births
1956 deaths
Conradh na Gaeilge presidents
Fianna Fáil TDs
Members of the 7th Dáil
Members of the 8th Dáil
Members of the 9th Dáil
Members of the 10th Dáil
Members of the 11th Dáil
Members of the 12th Dáil
Members of the 13th Dáil
Members of the 14th Dáil
Lord mayors of Dublin
Irish schoolteachers
Politicians from County Kerry