Cormac Breslin

Irish Fianna Fáil politician (1902–1978)

Cormac Breslin
Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann
In office
7 November 1967 – 14 March 1973
DeputyDenis Jones
Preceded byPatrick Hogan
Succeeded bySeán Treacy
Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann
In office
4 July 1951 – 7 November 1967
Ceann ComhairlePatrick Hogan
Preceded byPatrick Hogan
Succeeded byDenis Jones
Teachta Dála
In office
June 1969 – June 1977
ConstituencyDonegal-Leitrim
In office
October 1961 – June 1969
ConstituencyDonegal South-West
In office
July 1937 – October 1961
ConstituencyDonegal West
Personal details
Born(1902-04-25)25 April 1902
Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland
Died23 January 1978(1978-01-23) (aged 75)
Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland
Political partyFianna Fáil
Spouse
Antoinnette Wilman
(m. 1923)
Children10
EducationSt Eunan's College

Cormac Michael Breslin (25 April 1902 – 23 January 1978) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1967 to 1973. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1937 to 1977.[1]

He was born in Bunbeg, Gweedore, County Donegal.[2] He was educated at St Eunan's College, Letterkenny and, while Leas-Cheann Comhairle, attended the Golden Jubilee there in September 1956.[3]

He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal West constituency at the 1937 general election.[4] He was re-elected at every election until his retirement in 1977, switching constituency to Donegal South-West in 1961 and to Donegal–Leitrim in 1969. He served as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1967 to 1973, and as Leas-Cheann Comhairle from 1951 to 1967. He is credited for helping found the industrial estate in Gweedore,[2] and also the turf burning station—a source of employment in his local parish, which allowed local people to cut the turbary and sell it to the station operated by the Electrical Supply Board (ESB), situated in Min a Cuing.

In November 1931 he married Antoinette Wilman, and they had ten children.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Cormac Breslin". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Dempsey, Pauric J. "Breslin, Cormac". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  3. ^ "The Golden Jubilee tinged with sadness". St. Eunan's College: 1906–2006. Browne Printers Ltd. 2006. p. 46.
  4. ^ "Cormac Breslin". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
Political offices
Preceded by
Patrick Hogan
Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann
1967–1973
Succeeded by
Seán Treacy
  • v
  • t
  • e
  • v
  • t
  • e
Teachtaí Dála (TDs) for the Donegal West constituency
This table is transcluded from Donegal West (Dáil constituency). (edit | history)
Dáil Election Deputy
(Party)
Deputy
(Party)
Deputy
(Party)
9th 1937 Cormac Breslin
(FF)
Brian Brady
(FF)
Michael Óg McFadden
(FG)
10th 1938
11th 1943
12th 1944
13th 1948
1949 by-election Patrick O'Donnell
(FG)
14th 1951 Joseph Brennan
(FF)
15th 1954
16th 1957
17th 1961 Constituency abolished. See Donegal North-East and Donegal South-West
  • v
  • t
  • e
Teachtaí Dála (TDs) for the Donegal South-West constituency
This table is transcluded from Donegal South-West (Dáil constituency). (edit | history)
Dáil Election Deputy
(Party)
Deputy
(Party)
Deputy
(Party)
17th 1961 Joseph Brennan
(FF)
Cormac Breslin
(FF)
Patrick O'Donnell
(FG)
18th 1965
19th 1969 Constituency abolished. See Donegal–Leitrim


Dáil Election Deputy
(Party)
Deputy
(Party)
Deputy
(Party)
22nd 1981 Pat "the Cope" Gallagher
(FF)
Clement Coughlan
(FF)
James White
(FG)
23rd 1982 (Feb) Dinny McGinley
(FG)
24th 1982 (Nov)
1983 by-election Cathal Coughlan
(FF)
25th 1987 Mary Coughlan
(FF)
26th 1989
27th 1992
28th 1997 Tom Gildea
(Ind)
29th 2002 Pat "the Cope" Gallagher
(FF)
30th 2007
2010 by-election Pearse Doherty
(SF)
31st 2011 Thomas Pringle
(Ind)
32nd 2016 Constituency abolished. See Donegal
  • v
  • t
  • e
Teachtaí Dála (TDs) for the Donegal–Leitrim constituency
This table is transcluded from Donegal–Leitrim (Dáil constituency). (edit | history)
Dáil Election Deputy
(Party)
Deputy
(Party)
Deputy
(Party)
19th 1969 Cormac Breslin[a]
(FF)
Joseph Brennan
(FF)
Patrick O'Donnell
(FG)
1970 by-election Patrick Delap
(FF)
20th 1973 James White
(FG)
21st 1977 Constituency abolished. See Donegal and Sligo–Leitrim
  1. ^ Breslin was Ceann Comhairle from 1967 to 1973. As outgoing Ceann Comhairle, he was automatically re-elected at the 1969 and 1973 general elections.