{{Short description|Irish Presbyterian minister (1696-1768)}} {{for|the New York City Fire Commissioner|Thomas J. Drennan}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=October 2017}} {{Infobox person | name = Thomas Drennan | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = {{Birth date|1696|12|25|df=y}} | birth_place = Belfast, Ireland | death_date = {{Death date and age|1768|02|14|1696|12|25|df=y}} | death_place = Belfast, Ireland<ref name=ox>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095730983?d=/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095730983&p=emailAGgXJijsVQ102&print|title=Thomas Drennan|website=Oxford Reference|accessdate=22 April 2025}}</ref> | other_names = | occupation = Presbyterian minister | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }} '''Thomas Drennan''' (25th December 1696–14 February 1768) was an Irish Presbyterian minister active in advocating political and religious reforms as a "New Light" scholar.<ref name=nl>{{cite web |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/i30070918 |title=Eighteenth-century Ireland, Volume 7 |publisher=Jstor |accessdate=2025-04-22 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
== Life == Drennan was born in Belfast, Kingdom of Ireland on 25th December 1696. He was a friend of James Arbuckle and Drennan graduated from the University of Glasgow at the same time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/arbuckle-james-a0188 |title=Arbuckle, James |publisher=Dictionary of Irish Biographies |accessdate=2025-04-22}}</ref> Drennan was first ordained as a Presbyterian minister in Holywood.<ref name=bcc>{{cite web |url=https://minutes.belfastcity.gov.uk/documents/s19368/Appendix%201%20-%20Naming%20of%20Streets.pdf |title=William Drennan |publisher=Belfast City Council |accessdate=2025-04-22}}</ref> Drennan later became the minister of First Presbyterian Church, Belfast, where he was installed in 1736 as a colleague of Samuel Haliday. Drennan and Haliday shared the theological viewpoint to not subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith.<ref>{{cite book |page=146 |title=Philosophy and Religion in Enlightenment Britain |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780199227044 |first=Ruth |last=Savage}}</ref> He became sole minister of the congregation following Hailday's death in 1739.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://academic.oup.com/book/3049/chapter-abstract/143796689|title=Philosophy and Religion in Enlightenment Britain: New Case Studies|first=A. D. G.|last=Steers|chapter=Samuel Haliday (1685–1739): Travelling scholar, court lobbyist, and non-subscribing divine |editor-first=Ruth|editor-last=Savage|date=26 April 2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=0|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199227044.003.0007 |isbn=978-0-19-922704-4 |accessdate=22 April 2025|via=Silverchair}}</ref> He was one of several Irish reformers who influenced Scottish Enlightenment philosopher Francis Hutcheson, during the latter's time as master of an academy in Dublin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/sites/default/files/assets/document//francis_hutcheson_Maynooth_2019RodGow.pdf |title=Francis Hutcheson |publisher=Maynooth University |accessdate=2025-04-22}}</ref> Drennan taught New Light philosophy based upon equity and justice.<Ref name=nl />
Despite being recognised by his contemporaries as a learned philosopher and Christian scholar, as well as being listed in the Dictionary of Irish Philosophers, none of his philosophy work or sermons exist in written form.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishphilosophy.com/2016/12/25/teacher-thomas-drennan/#fnref-8067-3|title=The Teacher Thomas Drennan |publisher=Irish Philosophy|accessdate=22 April 2025}}</ref> The historian Ian McBride described him as "an elegant scholar".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://discoverulsterscots.com/sites/default/files/documents/2021-03/1798%20an%20aa%20that.pdf |title=1798 |publisher=Ulster-Scots Community Network |accessdate=2025-04-22}}</ref> Drenan died in Belfast on 14 February 1768.<ref name=ox /><ref name=d>{{cite book |title=The Christian family advocate |first=Catherine |last=Ponsonby |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1854 |page=309 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=udwEAAAAQAAJ}}</ref> James Crombie became one of the ministers of First Presbyterian Church, Belfast following Drennan's death.<ref name=d />
== Family == Drennan's son, William Drennan, would become a famous physician, poet, and political radical.<ref name=bcc /> His daughter, Martha, married the United Irishman Samuel McTier.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.libraryireland.com/articles/TwoUlsterPatriotsStudies10-38/index.php|title=Two Ulster Patriots (Dr. William Drennan and Mrs. Martha McTier)|website=Library Ireland |accessdate=22 April 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{cite book | author = Kerby A. Miller |author2=Arnold Schrier |author3=Bruce D. Boling |author4=David N. Doyle | title = Irish immigrants in the land of Canaan: Letters and memoirs from colonial and revolutionary America, 1675-1815 | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2003 | isbn = 0-19-504513-0 | page = 511}} {{s-start}} {{s-rel|pres}} {{s-bef|before= Samuel Haliday}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister of First Presbyterian Church, Rosemary St, Belfast|years=1736–1768|with=Samuel Haliday, 1736-1739|with2=Andrew Millar, 1745-1749|with3=Clotworthy Brown, 1749-1756|with4=James Mackay, 1756-1768}} {{s-aft|after=James Mackay<br>John Beatty<br>James Crombie (from 1770)}} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Drennan, Thomas}} Category:1696 births Category:1768 deaths Category:18th-century Irish Presbyterian ministers Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow Category:Irish non-subscribing Presbyterian ministers Category:Philosophers from Northern Ireland Category:Christian clergy from Belfast