John J. Brennan was a draper

Draper

Draper is the now largely obsolete term for a wholesaler, or especially retailer, of cloth, mainly for clothing, or one who works in a draper's shop. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. The drapers were an important trade guild...

 and publican

Public house

A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

, a Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...

 politician and a member of Seanad Éireann

Seanad Éireann

Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...

 from 1960 to 1977.

He was from Clontibret

Clontibret

Clontibret is a village and a parish in County Monaghan, Ireland.-Village:The village is situated close to the border with Northern Ireland, between the towns of Monaghan and Castleblayney, along the N2 National primary road, which links Dublin and Derry. The village population in 2006 was...

 in County Monaghan

County Monaghan

County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county...

 and was active in the Old IRA during the Irish War of Independence

Irish War of Independence

The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...

. He was elected to the County Council

County council

A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...

 in 1942. In Castleblayney

Castleblayney

Castleblayney or Castleblaney is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town has a population of about 3,000.Castleblayney lies near the border with County Armagh and is on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry...

, he was chair of the urban district

Urban district

In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....

 council and president of the chamber of commerce

Chamber of commerce

A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...

.
He stood unsuccessfully for Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

 in Monaghan

Monaghan (Dáil Éireann constituency)

Monaghan was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1921 to 1977. The constituency elected 3 deputies to the Dáil, using the single transferable vote form of proportional representation .- History :The constituency was...

 in the elections of 1948

Irish general election, 1948

The Irish general election of 1948 was held on 4 February 1948. The 147 newly elected members of the 13th Dáil assembled on 18 February when the First Inter-Party government in the history of the Irish state was appointed....

, 1954

Irish general election, 1954

The Irish general election of 1954 was held on 18 May 1954. The newly elected members of the 15th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 2 June when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....

, and 1957

Irish general election, 1957

The Irish general election of 1957 was held on 5 March 1957, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 4 February. The newly elected members of the 16th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 20 March when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took place...

. He was a friend and early political backer of Erskine H. Childers

Erskine Hamilton Childers

Erskine Hamilton Childers served as the fourth President of Ireland from 1973 until his death in 1974. He was a Teachta Dála from 1938 until 1973...

, Monaghan TD

Teachta Dála

A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...

 and later President of Ireland

President of Ireland

The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...

.

He was elected to the 9th Seanad

Members of the 9th Seanad

This is a list of the members of the 9th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas of the Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1957, after the 1957 general election and served until the close of poll for the 10th Seanad in 1961.-Composition of the 9th Seanad:There are a...

 on 9 February 1960 at a by-election

By-election

A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....

 to the Administrative Panel caused by the death of John O'Leary. He was elected to the 11th

Members of the 11th Seanad

This is a list of the members of the 11th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1965, after the 1965 general election and served until the close of poll for the 12th Seanad in 1969.-Composition of the 11th Seanad:There are a total...

 (1965) and 13th

Members of the 13th Seanad

This is a list of the members of the 13th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1973, after the 1973 general election and served until the close of poll for the 14th Seanad in 1977.-Composition of the 13th Seanad:There are a...

 (1973) Seanad from the Industrial and Commercial Panel, and was nominated by the Taoiseach

Nominated by the Taoiseach

The composition of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas of Ireland, is defined in outline by Article 18 of the Constitution of Ireland, which provides for 11 appointees that are nominated by the Taoiseach...

 to the 10th

Members of the 10th Seanad

This is a list of the members of the 10th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1961, after the 1961 general election and served until the close of poll for the 11th Seanad in 1965.-Composition of the 10th Seanad:There are a total...

 Seanad in 1961 and to the 12th

Members of the 12th Seanad

This is a list of the members of the 12th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1969, after the 1969 general election and served until the close of poll for the 13th Seanad in 1973.-Composition of the 12th Seanad:There are a...

Seanad in 1969.