- Selected:
BRENNAN, JAMES M.
- Born: 1912ca Died: 1967
Architect, of Dublin and Cork. James Brennan was born in Portlaoise in about 1912; his family subsequently moved to Kerry. He came to Dublin in his early youth and was educated at Belvedere College and UCD School of Architecture. In 1933, while a student at UCD, he won the AAI Downes Bronze Medal for his measured drawings of Christ Church Cathedral, and in 1934 he was awarded the UCD Kerner Greenwood Memorial Prize for his measured drawings of St George's Church, Dublin. After working in the offices of SCOTT & amp; GOOD(1) and ROBINSON & amp; KEEFE, he set up his own practice at 39 Westmoreland Street in 1937. The following year he received his B.Arch. degree from the National University of Ireland. For many years he conducted a busy general practice in Dublin and Co. Meath. In the early 1950s he suffered ill-health; on recovering he moved to Cork to take up the position of housing architect with Cork Corporation. In 1966 his health again deteriorated. He died in February 1967 and was buried in St Finbarr's Cemetery, Cork. He was survived by his wife.
According to Brendan O'Connor, Brennan was 'a gifted and sensitive painter and his pictures of the Irish Countryside and of Dublin contain the warmth of his affection, clear observation and his wit'. Between 1935 and 1957 he exhibited several paintings as well as architectural drawings and models at the RHA. These included an innovative thoretical proposal for a concrete church on a fan-shaped plan,exhibited in 1835.(2) His personality is described by O'Connor as 'vivid and endearing'.
AAI: elected member 1932; remained a member until 1938.(3)
RIAI: proposed for membership by JOHN O'GORMAN , EOGHAN D. BUCKLEY and BRENDAN O'CONNOR and elected 10 February 1939;(4) raised to fellow, 1953.(5)
Addresses:(6) Work: 39 Westmoreland Street, Dublin, 1937-1953; Architect's Department, City Hall, Cork, 1955.
Home: 100 Hollybank Road, Dublin, 1935-1936; 96 Hollybank Road, Glasnevin, 1946;(6) Prague, Hillcrest, Sandyford, 1954; 20 Grosvenor Road, Rathgar, 1957; St Kilda's, Western Road, Cork, <=1958-1969; Ard Muire, Buxton Hill, Sunday's Wells, Cork, 1960- .
See WORKS.
References
All information in this entry not otherwise accounted for is taken from the obituary of Brennan by Brendan O'Connor in RIAI Year Book (1967), 20, and from a biographical note about him in IB 95, 18 Jul 1953, 741. Jones's notes include further biographical data, for which he gives no source. A bust(?) of Brennan by Laurence Campbell was exhibited at the RHA in 1941 (no. 388).
(1) Sean Rothery, Ireland and the New Architecture 1900-1940 (1991), 146.
(2) RHA 1935, nos. 297,298,437. See Paul Larmour, Free State Architecture: Modern Movement architecture in Ireland, 1922-1949 (Kinsale: Gandon Editions, 2009), 42,43(illus.).
(3) Membership lists in AAI Green Books.
(4) JRIAI (1939), 18; Jones transcript from RIAI minutes.
(5) IB 95, 18 Jul 1953, 741; RIAI Year Book (1954, 7.
(6) From RIAI membership lists and RHA Index, I, 79.
(7) University College Dublin: Register of Graduates (1946), 10.
33 work entries listed in chronological order for BRENNAN, JAMES M.
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Building: | CO. WEXFORD, ?, HOUSE |
Date: | 1937 |
Nature: | Design for same with Michael Scott. exh. RHA 1937, no. 242; Described in IB as being 'cleverly depicted in showcard colour'. |
Refs: | IB 79, 29 May 1937 (information from Vincent Delany, Apr 2011). |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, ?, HOUSE |
Date: | 1938 |
Nature: | Drawing exhibited at RHA |
Refs: | RHA 1938, no. 297 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, DOLPHIN'S BARN, NO. 006 (DOLPHIN BAR) |
Date: | 1939 |
Nature: | International Modern style. |
Refs: | AJ 89, 22 Jun 1939, 1079; Architectural Design 17 ( July 1947), ? (illus.); Paul Larmour, Free State Architecture: Modern Movement architecture in Ireland, 1922-1949 (Kinsale: Gandon Editions, 2009),69,71(illus.). |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, ?, BUNGALOW |
Date: | 1939 |
Nature: | Drawing exhibited at RHA |
Refs: | RHA 1939, no. 347 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, ?, HOUSE (PROPOSED) |
Date: | 1941 |
Nature: | Watercolour exhibited at RHA |
Refs: | RHA 1941, no. 355 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, KILLINEY, MARATHON, DAY NURSERY |
Date: | 1942-1947 |
Nature: | Day nursery in basement of a house at Killiney. |
Refs: | RHA 1942, no. 245; AJ 106, 17 Jul 1947, 56 (illus.) |
Building: | CO. KERRY, LISTOWEL, ST MICHAEL'S COLLEGE |
Date: | 1943 |
Nature: | Alterations and additions |
Refs: | IB 85, 6 Nov 1943, 430 |
Building: | CO. WEXFORD, COURTOWN, DANCE PAVILION & CAFE |
Date: | 1944 |
Nature: | Model (?or watercolour of model) exhibited at RHA, 1944. |
Refs: |
RHA 1944, no. 351; plan and photograph of model in Architectural Design 17, no. 7, July 1947, 199? |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, ?, HOUSE |
Date: | 1944 |
Nature: | Model (?or watercolour of model) exhibited at RHA |
Refs: | RHA 1944, 350 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, INCHICORE, CIE CHASSIS FACTORY |
Date: | 1945-1950 |
Nature: | With Michael Scott |
Refs: | Drawings for factory in IAA 79/10.2/1-144 (Scott, Tallon, Walker coll.); M. McDermott, Ireland's Architectural Heritage (1975), 128. |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, ABBEY STREET MIDDLE, OFFICE (PROPOSED) |
Date: | 1946 |
Nature: | Model exhibited at RHA |
Refs: | RHA 1946, no. 23 |
Building: | CO. MEATH, DUNSHAUGHLIN, VOCATIONAL SCHOOL (PROPOSED) |
Date: | 1947 |
Nature: | Plans for new school perpared by JMB. Meath Vocational Education Committee to ask for grant from County Council. |
Refs: | IB 89, 11 Jan 1947, 24 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, ABBEY STREET LOWER, NO. 028 |
Date: | 1949 |
Nature: | Alterations |
Refs: | IB 91, 30 Apr 1949, 414 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, RATHDOWN ROAD, WORKSHOP |
Date: | 1949 |
Nature: | - |
Refs: | IB 91, 25 Jun 1949, 594 |
Building: | CO. MEATH, TRIM, TOWN HALL |
Date: | 1950 |
Nature: | Addition |
Refs: | IB 92, 11 Nov 1950, 1224 |
Building: | CO. MEATH, TRIM, FLOWER HILL, GILSENAN'S FIELD, HOUSES (054) |
Date: | 1950 |
Nature: | - |
Refs: | IB 92, 23 Dec 1950, 1394 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, CIRCULAR ROAD NORTH, DOYLE'S CORNER, BOHEMIAN CAFÉ |
Date: | 1950 |
Nature: | Alterations |
Refs: | IB 92, 23 Dec 1950, 1390 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, DRUMCONDRA ROAD UPPER, NO. 112 (PAYANTAKE LTD) |
Date: | 1950 |
Nature: | Alterations |
Refs: | IB 92, 15 Apr 1950, 382 |
Building: | CO. MEATH, TRIM, NAVAN GATE, HOUSES (006) |
Date: | 1950 |
Nature: | 6 two-storey houses |
Refs: | IB 92, 8 Jul 1950, 718 |
Building: | CO. MEATH, KELLS, MOYNALTY ROAD, HOUSES (054) |
Date: | 1951 |
Nature: | 54 2-storey houses. |
Refs: | IB 93, 17 Mar,27 Oct 1951, 302,1114; 96, 13 Feb 1954, 157 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, PRUSSIA STREET, NO. 030 |
Date: | 1951 |
Nature: | New store |
Refs: | IB 93, 18 Aug 1951, 868 |
Building: | CO. MEATH, TRIM, RAILWAY ROAD, HOUSES (003) |
Date: | 1951 |
Nature: | 3 2-storey houses. |
Refs: | IB 93, 29 Sep 1951, 1014 |
Building: | CO. MEATH, NAVAN, HOUSES (016) |
Date: | 1951 |
Nature: | 16 2-storey houses. |
Refs: | IB 93, 10 Nov 1951, 1172 |
Building: | CO. MEATH, NAVAN, BOYS' NATIONAL SCHOOL |
Date: | 1953 |
Nature: | Tenders invited for erecting same. |
Refs: | IB 95, 23 May 1953, 538 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, FASSAUGH AVENUE, STORE |
Date: | 1953 |
Nature: | Additions |
Refs: | IB 95, 24 Oct 1953, 1108 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, CLAREMONT ROAD, WILTON LODGE |
Date: | 1953 |
Nature: | Plans for new entrance gate for L. Fleming approved by Corporation. |
Refs: | IB 95, 28 Mar 1953, 322 |
Building: | CO. MEATH, NAVAN, HOUSES (010) |
Date: | 1953 |
Nature: | 10 2-storey houses. |
Refs: | IB 95, 28 Mar 1953, 324 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, STILLORGAN ROAD (DONNYBROOK), CORAS IOMPAIR EIREANN BUS GARAGE |
Date: | 1953a |
Nature: | With Michael Scott. |
Refs: | Architectural Survey 1953, 26(illus.) |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, MERRION ROAD, NO. 102 |
Date: | 1954 |
Nature: | - |
Refs: | IB 96, 22 May,28 Aug 1954, 509,839 |
Building: | CO. MEATH, NAVAN, DE LA SALLE MONASTERY |
Date: | 1954 |
Nature: | Tenders invited for erection of new monastery. |
Refs: | IB 96, 3 Jul 1954, 656 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, FITZWILLIAM PLACE, NO. 035 |
Date: | 1955 |
Nature: | Alterations at rear |
Refs: | IB 97, 3 Apr 1955, 417 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, ST ANDREW'S STREET, NO. 004 |
Date: | 1956 |
Nature: | Alterations |
Refs: | IB 98, 14 Jan 1956, 25 |
Building: | CO. DUBLIN, DUN LAOGHAIRE, ?, HOUSE |
Date: | ? |
Nature: | Bungalow, designed for himself. |
Refs: | Photograph and plan in Architectural Design, July 1947, 183. |
Author | Title | Date | Details |
---|---|---|---|
Brennan, James M. | 'Housing and the Citizen' | 1939 | Irish Press: RIAI Centenary Souvenir-Number, 22 Jun 1939, 11. |