A new book chronicling the history of Donegal County Council will be launched tomorrow. The publication is the work of retired teacher and guidance counsellor Vincent Breslin.
Vincent is the son of Cormac Breslin, a former Fianna Fáil politician who served as a TD from 1937 to 1977 and as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1967 to 1973.
The Bunbeg man spent countless hours pouring over minutes of meetings and other documents to compile what is a forensic exploration of the local authority.
“I sort of walked into it really,” said Vincent of how the book came about.
“My father was a TD for 40 years so I grew up with that mentality.”
‘Donegal County Council 1898 to 2019 – A History’ examines the townhall body’s birth on April 1 1899 following the enactment of the Government of Ireland Act 1898. Prior to that it was the Grand Jury System that held the reins of power in the county.
It traces the authority’s response to the various political earthquakes – local, national and international – that occurred over the next century and more, events such as the 1916 Rising, the civil war and the first and second global conflicts.
As well as the breathtaking amount of written detail, Vincent has managed to unearth a treasure trove of photographs, some of which have never before been published.
One of the stand out images is that of the Donegal Grand Jury in 1899, months before it ceased to function.
In his detailed exploration of the local authority Vincent has managed to collate a photo of every chairperson, from Edward McFadden in 1898 to Jack Murray in 2019.
A photographic collection has also been compiled of every Donegal County Council chairperson from 1899 to 2022, going right back to the very first ‘first citizen’, Edward McFadden.
Vincent’s mission to chart the council’s history began in 2018 when one of his former students, Seamus O’Domhnaill, was mayor.
The pandemic did slow things down as the author was unable to access some of the documents he needed. But following the lifting of restrictions, he was able to get back to work and get the project over the line.
Vincent said that his motivation, in part at least, was that no such book was created when Donegal County Council celebrated its centenary in 1999.
“If you go to Galway council, Kerry council, Meath, Dublin, they all have these centenary books. We did nothing.
“That is why I am putting the story out there, due to the fact that it hasn’t been done before. Even though a hundred years have gone by and here we are into the second century of Donegal County Council.”
Vincent Breslin’s ‘Donegal County Council 1898 to 2019 – A History’ will be launched this Monday, November 28, in the council chamber in Lifford at 2.15pm. The foreward was penned by current Cathaoirleach Councillor Liam Blaney.
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