Seán Brosnan (21 December 1916 – 18 April 1979) was an Irish

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and

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 ...

politician. He served for 10 years in the

Oireachtas The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...

, as a

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) and as a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

. Brosnan was a native of

Dingle Dingle ( or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula (known in Irish as ''Corca Dhuibhne''), it sits on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coa ...

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 ...

. He was a prominent Gaelic footballer and won 3 All-Ireland medals with Kerry. In 1939, he was captain of the team but could not play in the final due to influenza. In 1933, he won an All-Ireland Minor Football Championship with Kerry. He won senior Kerry County Championship medals with

Dingle GAA Dingle GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in County Kerry, Ireland. They compete in the Kerry Senior Football Championship and wear red and white. CLG Dingle - Daingean Uí Chúis formed in 1967 with the Na Piarsaigh and Sraid Eoin amalga ...

in 1938 and 1941. He left Dingle in the autumn of 1939.Seán Brosnan, an appreciation by Micheal Ó Ruairc; The Kerryman, 4 May 1979 At the 1969 general election, Brosnan was elected to the

19th Dáil The 19th Dáil was elected at the 1969 Irish general election, 1969 general election on 18 June 1969 and met on 2 July 1969. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Republic of Ireland, Ire ...

as a TD for Cork North-East. It was his second attempt – he had been defeated in

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

– and he lost his seat at the 1973 general election. He was then elected to the 13th Seanad Éireann on the

Administrative Panel The Administrative Panel is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Republic of Ireland, Ireland). The Administrative Panel elects seven senator ...

, but he regained his Dáil seat in a by-election in November 1974 after the death of his Fianna Fáil colleague Liam Ahern. Brosnan was re-elected at the 1977 general election to the

21st Dáil The 21st Dáil was elected at the 1977 Irish general election, 1977 general election on 16 June 1977 and met on 5 July 1977. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Republic of Ireland, Irel ...

, and also served as a

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

(MEP). MEPs were at that time appointed by national parliaments rather than being elected, and Brosnan was one of a 10-member delegation from the

until the first direct elections in 1979. After his death in 1979, the resulting by-election on 7 November was won for

Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...

Myra Barry Myra Barry (born 30 June 1957) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1979 to 1987. A national school teacher by profession, she trained at St Patrick's College, Dublin. She was first elected to Dáil É ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brosnan, Sean 1916 births 1979 deaths Fianna Fáil TDs Irish sportsperson-politicians Members of the 19th Dáil Members of the 13th Seanad Members of the 20th Dáil Members of the 21st Dáil Politicians from County Cork Fianna Fáil MEPs MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1977–1979 Irish barristers Kerry inter-county Gaelic footballers Fianna Fáil senators People from Dingle Lawyers from County Cork Administrative Panel senators