The Andrew Brennan Trust was established by family and friends to support Andrew as he rebuilds his life following his injury.

Leadership came naturally to Andrew Brennan, though he never sought it. His is a leadership of service - grounded, generous, and unassuming. At Gonzaga College SJ, he captained his rugby team and served as school vice-captain, earning the Founders’ Cup for his contribution to school life. Those who know him remember not his titles but the quiet example he sets: steady, selfless, and deeply respected. Loved by many, he seemed unaware of the admiration that surrounded him.

After university in Dublin, Andrew chose a different path, leaving the city for the rain, stone, and sea of West Cork. Drawn to the tangible and to things made by hand with patience, he found a rhythm that suited him on the artisan Gubbeen Farm, where the slow craft of making shaped each day. It was there he met his partner, Rosie, whose warmth and quiet courage have been a constant in his life.

Andrew’s great love has always been the physical world - the feel of oak under a chisel, the proportions of a building that sits gently in its setting, the quiet satisfaction of working with rather than against the grain. Teaching himself carpentry, he became an accomplished maker of furniture and buildings distinguished by restraint, honesty, and grace. His work reflects a rare sensibility: a respect for materials, for nature, and for the unseen harmony that makes a place feel alive.

On a spring day in May 2025, everything changed. While working on the farm, Andrew fell through a roof and sustained a catastrophic spinal injury - a C4 complete injury which left him without movement or sensation from the shoulders down, and only limited use of his right arm. For a man who had built his life around the physical world, this was a particularly bitter twist: the craftsman suddenly cut off from his craft, the maker forced to meet life in an entirely new way.

Yet those who know Andrew know he meets each challenge with the same quiet resolve that has always defined him. His story, from the rugby field to the workshop, from city life to West Cork, is one of integrity, craftsmanship, and a deep love of life lived close to the grain of the world.