Séamus de Brún (1 October 1911 – 5 March 2003) was an Irish teacher,

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

and promoter of the Irish language and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

. A lifelong member of the

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...

party, he was particularly noted for his work as a trustee and president of

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (; meaning "Society of the musicians of Ireland") is the primary Irish organisation dedicated to the promotion of the music, song, dance and the language of Ireland. The organisation was founded in 1951 and has pr ...

Family and early life

De Brún was born in

Cornamona Corr na Móna (anglicized as Cornamona) is a village and townland in County Galway, Ireland. It is part of the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking region) in Joyce Country, and of the possible future geopark. The village lies on the north of Lough Corr ...

, in

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speak ...

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

, one of six children of Tadhg de Brún and his wife Kit (née Burke). He was educated locally and won a scholarship to Coláiste Connacht in

Tourmakeady Toormakeady or Tourmakeady (, the official name) is a Gaeltacht in south County Mayo in the west of Ireland. It is located between the shores of Lough Mask and the Partry Mountains, and covers 66.51 square miles. As at the time of the 2011 cen ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

, where he qualified as a múinteoir taistil (a travelling teacher of Irish). After a time teaching in

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

, he was appointed 1944 to a teaching post in Elphin,

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

with Roscommon

Vocational Education Committee A Vocational Education Committee (VEC) ( ga, Coiste Gairmoideachais) was a statutory local education body in Ireland that administered some secondary education, most adult education and a very small amount of primary education in the state. Before ...

(VEC), and in 1945 he transferred to the

vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...

Castlerea Castlerea (; ) is the third largest town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located in the west of the county and had a population of 1,992 at the 2016 Census. Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea is generally thought to mean 'brindled ca ...

, where he taught until his retirement in 1977. Whilst teaching an Irish-language summer Course in Tourmakeady, he met his future wife Brid O'Hara (–1988), from

Tourlestrane Toorlestraun or Tourlestrane () is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. Village The village of Tourlestrane itself is the smaller of the two villages in the parish of Kilmactigue, the other being Aclare. It is a market centre for local dairy far ...

, in

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

. They married in 1944, and had three children.

Career

In 1951, de Brún was one of the early members of

(CCE), a voluntary organisation dedicated to the promotion of the music, song, dance and language of Ireland, which were then in decline. Seamus and Bríd were both stalwarts of Comhaltas, and Bríd died in 1998 in a car crash in

Swinford Swinford () is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is surrounded by a number of smaller villages, including Midfield and Meelick. It is just off the N5 road, located 18 km (11 mi) from Ireland West Airport Knock (formerly known as K ...

en route to a meeting in Ballina of the

Fleadh Cheoil The Fleadh Cheoil (; meaning "festival of music") is an Irish music festival run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ), a non-profit organisation. The festival includes live music events as well as competition. Each year a single town or city ...

committee. He was a founder of the Castlerea branch of CCE, and held a series of local, provincial and national posts within the organisation, serving as national president from 1970 to 1973, and leading CCE's first tour of the United States in 1972. A member of the national council of

Oireachtas na Gaeilge Oireachtas na Gaeilge (, “The Irish (language) Gathering”) is an annual arts festival of Irish culture, which has run since the 1890s. Inspired by the Welsh eisteddfodau, the festival has included different events connected with Irish langu ...

(an annually held festival of Irish culture), he adjudicated at music competitions and was recognised as an authority on sean nós singing. He was a member for 15 years of Comhairle Raidió na Gaeltachta (the advisory board of

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (; "Radio of the Gaeltacht"), abbreviated RnaG, is an Irish language radio station owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the Intern ...

), and in the 1970s he was as a member of the Roscommon VEC. Although he lived most of his life in Roscommon, he continued to support the

Galway GAA The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae na Gaillimhe) or Galway GAA are one of the 32 county boards in Ireland; they are responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway, and f ...

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

and

gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

teams, and took his holidays in Galway.

Politics

At the 1977 general election, de Brún was director of elections for the successful Fianna Fáil campaign in Roscommon, and was rewarded by being

Nominated by the Taoiseach A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

Jack Lynch John Mary Lynch (15 August 1917 – 20 October 1999) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1966 to 1979, Leader of the Opposition from 1973 to 1977, Minister ...

to the

14th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 14th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1977, after the 1977 general election and served until the close of poll for the ...

. In the 1981 elections to the

15th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 15th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1981, after the 1981 general election and served until the close of poll for ...

, he stood on the

Cultural and Educational Panel The Cultural and Educational Panel () is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Cultural and Educational Panel elects five s ...

, but did not win a seat. However, he was successful in the 1982 election to the

16th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 16th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1982, after the February 1982 general election and served until the close of poll ...

, and was re-elected at the 1983 election to the

. He stood down at the 1987 election, to devote his energies to other causes. On his death in 2001, Senators from all parties praised his contributions to Irish culture and to the Seanad. Independent senator

Shane Ross Shane Peter Nathaniel Ross (born 11 July 1949) is a former Irish Independent politician who served as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport from May 2016 to June 2020. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Rathdown constituency from 2 ...

described de Brún's contributions to the upper house as "absolutely priceless, quite invaluable and an education to the rest of us", noting that de Brún "only spoke on matters about which he felt he was elected to speak and about which he could make a contribution".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Debrun, Seamus 1911 births 2003 deaths Fianna Fáil senators Irish schoolteachers Language teachers Members of the 14th Seanad Members of the 16th Seanad Members of the 17th Seanad Nominated members of Seanad Éireann Politicians from County Galway Politicians from County Roscommon