Doughiska resident and Milltown native Peter Brennan was named after his uncle Pete, a prominent IRA intelligence officer in North Galway. Peter’s father, Patrick, was an IRA man, too, who was once beaten up by the Black and Tans.

Pete was on the anti-Treaty side of the Civil War, while Patrick was an ardent supporter of Mick Donnellan, who, in 1938, became founder and first leader of the farmers’ party, Clann na Talmhan.

Peter was the youngest of seven siblings, six boys and one girl. His father rarely spoke about his IRA past; those gaps were filled in by Katie, his mother, and another uncle, John, who had narrow escapes from the infamous Black and Tans.

Born in 1942, Peter was reared in Liskeavy, Milltown, in a former IRA safe house during the War of Independence.

He recalled his father had a framed photograph on the wall at home with pen-pictures of ten officers of the IRA’s North Galway Brigade, who died fighting for the Republic.

“Every one of them men stayed in our home in Liskeavy,” said 83-year-old Peter, a former member of the Irish Army’s reserve force, the FCA 13th battery in Tuam.

“The Black and Tans raided the house several times and they fired shots at it. My poor grandmother used to have to stay there when that was going on, because they (IRA men) had to go,” he said.

Peter attended Brooklawn and Kilgevrin national schools followed by a year at St Jarlath’s in Tuam, but he wasn’t academic and transferred to the Tech, where he thrived working with his hands.

“I went from bottom of one class to the top in the other.”

After graduating in 1961, Peter had the chance to become an apprentice at Tuam Sugar Factory, but opted instead for Steinbok in Mervue, Galway City.

The German company made pallet trucks and had a reputation for being the “toughest and best to train with”.

He started as an apprentice fitter and turner and then progressed into toolmaker and designer in the Steinbok building that was later taken over by Crown Equipment.

“We were the third-largest producers of pallet trucks in the world,” recalled Peter who enjoyed his career at Crown until the late 2000s, when it closed and he retired.

It was not all rosy, though. And it’s clear that the ‘F*ck-off Strike’ – so-called because a shop steward from the Amalgamated Engineering Union was sacked after giving that reply to a supervisor who had asked him to do something outside his job description – remains as raw for Peter as if it had happened last year, not 1975/6.

The incident split trade union members, pitting colleague against colleague. Some went on strike, on a picket-line; others, like Peter, returned to work, believing the strike was not legitimate because members had not voted on it.

Recalling the sacrifice of those on strike who were not paid was upsetting for Peter.

“I had the greatest sympathy for the people that stayed out – no money,” he said, his voice quivering.

He was one of a committee of staff who engaged a solicitor (the late Liam Geraghty of Bearna), who argued the striking workers had interpreted the rule incorrectly, and that a vote was needed before taking strike action.

“We had a vote and we won the vote, but they didn’t comply with the vote because they said you didn’t have to have a vote,” he recalled.

Ultimately, Peter’s side won a High Court case, which was upheld by the Supreme Court. But this came at a cost – acrimony between colleagues for the guts of a year.

“It was very bitter, very bitter. Physical fights would take place and boxes [were thrown] sometimes,” he said.

Peter recalled a heated trade union meeting when violence was used.

“They attacked us. One of my comrades ended up in hospital.”

The Supreme Court judgement – which he still possesses – put an end to it and normal life resumed. “Everyone cooperated in their work; you had to,” he said.

Peter’s promising Gaelic football career was cut short by choice, due to the arduous task of having to thumb lifts between Milltown and Galway – where his job paid four pounds per week, with three of that going on digs. But not before he won a North Board minor title with Milltown in 1957/8.

He was in goals, “behind the master himself, Noel Tierney” at full-back in the controversial County Final against St Michael’s, which Milltown lost by a point.

“Our crowd found out that St Michael’s had three illegal players, from different parts of the county. We won the objection, but the result was we had to play them again,” he said.

Milltown lost the replay – but Peter and Galway great, Tierney, denied the city outfit any goals.

It was through his love of football that Peter met his wife, Lily (Elizabeth), upstairs in Clery’s dancehall in Dublin during a trip to the capital for a Galway match. They married in 1968 and had three children.

Bernard, the eldest, an accountant, who worked with Coca Cola and in gold mines, died of a heart attack, 14 years ago.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Peter said of the shock of losing an adult child.

Graham, an engineer, worked for Rolls-Royce, designing engine parts before returning to Ireland to work for the State; and Claire, who had a Masters in Science, was involved in research and development before pivoting to law.

“We had one desire for our family, and that was, we would educate them to as high as they would go,” he said.

His children’s love of swimming encouraged him to get involved as a coach with Shark Swimming Club, which he helped to establish.

Peter “could just about swim but I went on courses” and he became a coach, rising through the ranks and becoming President of Swim Ireland in 1996, having held the position of regional President in Connacht.

In 2005, while attending Mass in Ballybane, Peter, who lives with Lily in Doughiska on city’s east side, answered a call from Fr Martin Glynn, who announced he was setting up a new parish there.

The new parish committee initially rented space from Castlegar GAA Club, holding Mass in the main hall on Sundays and in a side room during the week.

In 2008, they cut a deal to buy the former Racing Lodge Hotel on the Doughiska Road. It’s now home to the Cumasú Centre.

The altar of Doughiska Church is located where the hotel bar used to be, and the congregation sits in the former dining room.

“The centre is used by 1,500 per week . . .we celebrated 20 years of the parish a few weeks ago,” he said.

A prolific donor of his rare RH negative blood from 1962 to 2018, Peter was honoured with a certificate, award and gold pin by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service for reaching a milestone of donating 100 pints of blood.

“I felt I was doing good for somebody, especially when mine was rare blood and they needed every drop they could get,” he said.

He stopped in 2018, following an operation, but has remained active. A keen walker, he participated in the Louisburg Famine Walk for charity a couple of years ago and was a regular up Croagh Patrick.

Peter’s lifelong motto, with the support of his wife Lily, was simple: “If you think you are right, keep going.”

Pictured: Former Swim Ireland President Peter Brennan pictured at his home in Doughiska with various awards he has received down the years including from the Irish Blood Transfusion Service for Peter’s contribution as a blood donor over fifty years, a medal and cup for his FCA service, his medal for being president of what is now Swim Ireland, his participation in organising 1916 commemorations in his community and an award to acknowledge his work as founder of Sharks swimming club. Photo: Brian Harding.