John Drennan

Last updated

John Drennan (born Sean Armstrong)[ citation needed ] is an Irish political journalist and writer. He is a columnist for the Sunday Independent , [1] an occasional TV panelist and a frequent contributor to radio shows. From County Laois [2] he was educated at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth [3] where he studied for an arts degree and worked as a part-time postman to fund his shooting and fishing hobbies. A gun enthusiast and writer of dole diaries, Drennan was openly affiliated with Fine Gael for many years and often referred to himself warmly as an "Old Blueshirt".[ citation needed ]

In 2015, Drennan announced that he was leaving his role with the Sunday Independent and had joined Renua Ireland — a new anti-abortion [4] political party founded by Lucinda Creighton TD — to work as their Communications Director. [5] After the party's underwhelming performance during the 2016 general elections, Drennan resigned and returned to his work as a journalist. [6]

He has contributed to a number of publications, such as Magill and Village .

Drennan works as a Communications and PR consultant as Communicate Ireland along with journalist and former senator John Whelan. [7]

Publications

Related Research Articles

Jim Duffy is an Irish historian, political commentator, and served as a policy advisor to then Irish leader of the Opposition, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny prior to the 2011 general election. He first achieved prominence in 1990 when the contents of his on-the-record interview with then Tánaiste Brian Lenihan, in which Lenihan admitted making calls to the residence of the Irish president seeking to speak to President Hillery to urge him to refuse a Dáil dissolution in controversial circumstances, led to Lenihan's dismissal from government, his defeat in that year's Irish presidential election and the unexpected election of the left wing liberal Mary Robinson as President of Ireland.

Cute hoor and, by extension, "cute hoorism", is a cultural concept in Ireland where a certain level of corruption is forgiven - or sometimes even applauded - of politicians or businessmen. This phenomenon is sometimes attributed to postcolonialism and emigration in Ireland, but also to how historically passive income and patronage were favoured, in culture and in public policy, over entrepreneurship. But the concept also references how years of net emigration had led to a situation where having a network of powerful contacts created more opportunities for a school or college leaver than work ethic, talent or academic achievement.

Geraldine Kennedy is an Irish journalist and politician who served as the first female editor of The Irish Times newspaper. She previously served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 1987 to 1989.

Jim Walsh is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician and member of Seanad Éireann between 1997 and 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver J. Flanagan</span> Irish Fine Gael politician (1920–1987)

Oliver James Flanagan was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Defence from 1976 to 1977 and as a Parliamentary Secretary from 1954 to 1957 and from 1975 to 1976. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Laois-Offaly constituency from 1943 to 1987.

Billy Timmins is an Irish former politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency from 1997 until the 2016 general election. He was the deputy leader of Renua from the foundation of the party in March 2015 until May 2016. He previously sat as an Independent TD, having lost the Fine Gael parliamentary party whip in July 2013.

Paul Bradford is an Irish former politician who served as a Senator for the Agricultural Panel from 1987 to 1989 and 2002 to 2016. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork East constituency from 1989 to 2002.

Eddie Hobbs is an Irish financial advisor, writer, campaigner and former television presenter and author.

Daniel Desmond was an Irish Labour Party politician and Teachta Dála (TD) for seventeen years.

Eoghan Harris is an Irish journalist, columnist, director, and former politician. He has held posts in various and diverse political parties. He was a leading theoretician in the Marxist-Leninist Workers' Party. Harris was a fierce critic of Provisional Sinn Féin, from which they had split, and became an opponent of Irish republicanism. For much of the Troubles, from the 1970s until the 1990s, Harris worked in Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) and was influential in shaping the current affairs output of Ireland's national broadcaster. Later he began writing for the Sunday Independent newspaper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rónán Mullen</span> Irish politician (born 1970)

Rónán Thomas Mullen is an Irish senator and former delegate to the Council of Europe. He is the leader of the Human Dignity Alliance, an anti-abortion political party formed in 2018. He was elected by the National University Seanad constituency in July 2007 and re-elected in 2011, 2016 and 2020. He has topped the poll in every NUI Seanad election since 2011. Mullen is a frequent media commentator on social and political topics. The first National University of Ireland senator appointed to the Council of Europe, he received international coverage for his role in defeating the controversial McCafferty Report which sought to limit the right to conscientious objection for medical staff in the case of abortions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucinda Creighton</span> Irish former politician (b. 1980)

Lucinda Creighton is an Irish businesswoman and former politician, who served as Minister of State for European Affairs from 2011 to 2013. She was leader of Renua from its March 2015 foundation until May 2016, and served as a Teachta Dála (TD) representing Dublin South-East from 2007 to 2016.

Declan James Ganley is an English-born Irish entrepreneur, businessman, and political activist. He was the founder and leader of the Irish branch of the Libertas Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Party (Ireland, 2016)</span> Irish political party

The National Party is a minor far-right nationalist political party in Ireland. The party was founded in 2016 and has no elected representatives.

John Whelan is an Irish Labour Party politician and former member of Seanad Éireann.

The Reform Alliance was an Irish political group formed on 13 September 2013 by Oireachtas members who had been expelled from the Fine Gael parliamentary party for voting against the party whip. Since the dissolution of the 31st Dail, it has been defunct. Its members described it as a "loose alliance" but did not preclude forming a political party in the future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renua</span> Irish political party, currently named Centre Party of Ireland

The Centre Party of Ireland, formerly Renua, is a fringe political party in Ireland. The party was launched on 13 March 2015, with former Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton as founding leader. Prior to its launch it had used the slogan Reboot Ireland. The name Renua was intended to suggest both the English Renew and the Irish Ré Nua "New Era". The party changed its name to the Centre Party of Ireland in 2023.

Numerous polls of support for political parties in Ireland were taken between the 2011 general election and the 2016 general election, held on Friday, 26 February 2016. The article also contains polls taken after the election while a government was being formed.

John Leahy is an Irish independent politician who served as leader of Renua from 2016 to 2019. A local councillor for Birr, on Offaly County Council, he was first elected in 2009 as an Independent. He was re-elected topping the poll in 2014. Leahy joined Renua at its foundation in 2015 and stood unsuccessfully in the 2016 general election. He was eliminated on the fifth count with 6,588 votes. Leahy was elected leader of Renua on 3 September 2016, succeeding Lucinda Creighton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Freedom Party</span> Irish political party

The Irish Freedom Party or the Irexit Freedom To Prosper Party, sometimes referred to as IFP or IFTPP, is a minor far-right, hard Eurosceptic political party in Ireland, launched on 8 September 2018. It advocates Irish withdrawal from the European Union.

References

  1. John Drennan Columnists, Sunday Independent
  2. Debates feature in Laois author’s book, Leinster Express, Thursday 8 November 2012.
  3. "Sunday Independents John Drennan". Eolas Magazine. 28 May 2012.
  4. "Ireland's election result is no stepping stone to abortion rights. It's a roadblock | Emer O'Toole". The Guardian . 9 March 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  5. John Drennan Renua The Journal, May 2015.
  6. O'Connell, Hugh. "Spin doctor John Drennan quits Renua after election failure". TheJournal.ie .
  7. About Us Communicate Ireland.
  8. Review of Cute Hoors and Pious Protesters Irish Independent , 20 February 2011.
  9. Those who stood by the Republic Irish Independent, 14 October 2012.