Builders of the Hawkeye State >From "The Palimpsest; The Irish in Iowa", State Historical Society of Iowa, February 1964 ....John BRENNAN, who was born in Roscommon County in 1845, came to America in 1865, friendless and penniless. While working four years as a laborer, he studied law at night in Omaha. However, he became too deaf to plead cases before a jury. In 1869 he became a reporter for the Sioux City Daily Times. BRENNAN was an effective speaker, "especially when dealing with England's treatment of Ireland." He served as campaign orator with Blaine in 1884. Later he became associated with Patrick EGAN and John P FINNERTY in Irish meetings throughout the United States. BRENNAN wrote a pamphlet, "The Irish-American Citizen, His Rights and Duties in American Politics," in 1866. He claimed that the Democrats asked the Irish to battle for "personal liberty" which means "liberty of the saloon." "This saloon institution is the crowning curse of our race in this country," he wrote. He thought no respectable Irishman should be engaged in the liquor traffic. In his later years he gave much of his time to The Northwestern Catholic, published at Sioux City. BRENNAN died in Sioux City in 1900... Cathy Joynt Labath The Irish in Iowa http://www.rootsweb.com/~iarecrds/ Also researching Brennans in Iowa and Co. Roscommon-but this one doesn't fit in to my lines!!