JULY’s meeting of Clare County Council was adjourned for one day as a mark of respect following the recent passing of former Clare TD and Mayor of Clare, James Breen (IND).
Kilnamona native Breen died in June and was regarded as one of the county’s most colourful politicians with tributes paid to him this week by a host of his former colleagues.
Monday’s meeting of the County Council was adjourned for a full twenty four hours as a mark of respect to James who was first elected to the local authority in 1985.
Cllr Michael Begley (IND) proposed the adjournment which was seconded by Cllr Pat Hayes (FF). “There was one coincidence between himself and myself when he was first elected in 1985, we both had the exact same number of first preference votes. It was good enough to elect Jim and not elect me”, recalled Cllr Begley. “He didn’t pull back on anything he had to say and we all appreciated him for that alone in his time here”.
Extending his sympathies to James’ wife Eileen, Cllr Hayes referred to the former TD as “a well-known and well-loved character. We all had our moments in the sun with James over the years and he was known right across the county whether it was singing a song, telling a story or representing the people”. He referenced Breen’s term as Mayor of Clare from 2015 to 2016 as well his time spent on the Munster Council of the GAA, before adding “a full adjournment is the only mark of respect we can give to his legacy”.
Breen’s reputation as a “colourful man” and his singing ability were emphasised by Cllr John Crowe (FG). “We had some great days, evenings and meetings, we used to always have great banter when there was a singing competition between the two of us. You can imagine the kinds of songs that were sung. We were great friends and we got on fantastic”.
One of Clare’s most iconic recent political figures, James served the county for 34 years with highlights including his election as a TD in 2002 and his term as Mayor of Clare. Breen was a tireless campaigner for his native Kilnamona and on GAA matters in the county.
His passion for sport was highlighted by Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG), who noted that Breen had attempted to form a football team in Kilnamona during the West Clare representative’s time serving as a member of the Clare GAA football board.
Cathaoirleach of the West Clare MD, Cllr Michael Shannon (FF) praised Breen’s poll-topping General Election of 2002. “He had the pulse of the people at that time in June 2002. He really believed in what he was doing and he defined politics in Clare. The genie came out of the bottle that time in 2002”.
There was always a warm welcome for James, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) observed. He described him as “one of those colleagues you’d hear before you’d see. He began his career in the 1960s making a number of connections that allowed him to enter into local politics. He was an outstanding community activist, particularly in his native Kilnamona. A great singer and storyteller, he was like a seanchaí, he was welcomed everywhere he went”.
