Brendan Ryan (Cork politician)

Not to be confused with the younger Labour Party senator and TDBrendan Ryan (Dublin politician).

Brendan Ryan
Senator
In office 17 September 1997 – 13 September 2007
In office 13 May 1982 – 17 February 1993
Constituency	National University
Personal details
Born	(1946-08-06)6 August 1946 County Kildare,Ireland
Political party	Labour Party Independent

Brendan Ryan(born 6 August 1946) is anIrishpolitician and former member ofSeanad Éireannfor theNational Universityconstituency.He was anindependentsenator until 1999, when he joined the Labour Party.

Career

Born inAthy,County Kildare,Ryan's political interest arises from his involvement in the 1970s and 1980s with theSimon Community,an organisation which works with and for homeless people.

Political career

He was first elected in 1981 to the16th Seanadby graduates of theNational University of Irelandin 1981, defeating ProfessorAugustine Martin.His election was welcomed by an editorial inThe Irish Timesas "one of the best deeds in a naughty world". The paper noted that "the graduates of the National University of Ireland, the privileged as many would see them, the people who have had the inestimable gift of university education, gave their vote to a man who had devoted his life wholeheartedly to the Simon Community – Mr. Brendan Ryan".

He was a member of the Senate from 1981 until his defeat at the 1993 election to the20th Seanad.He was re-elected to the 1997 to the21st Seanad,and was a member until he lost his seat in 2007.

In 2004, Ryan he stood as a Labour Party candidate in theEuropean Parliament electionfor theSouthconstituency, and in the2002 general election,he stood in theCork South-Centralconstituency. He was unsuccessful on both occasions.

In May 2006, he introduced theGenealogy and Heraldry Bill 2006in Seanad Éireann which aimed to provide a sound legislative basis for the State's delivery of heraldic services.

Academic career

Ryan is a lecturer in Chemical Engineering at theCork Institute of Technology.In 1995 he wrote "Keeping Us In The Dark", a book concerning censorship and freedom of information in Ireland. He also wrote a weekly column for theEvening Echonewspaper.

Personal life

Ryan is a fluent speaker of theIrish language.