Éamon de Valera

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Lore & Background

Éamon de Valera was born on 14 October 1882 in New York City; his name was initially registered as George de Valero. He was the son of Catherine Coll, originally from Bruree, County Limerick, and Juan Vivion de Valera, described on the birth certificate as a Spanish artist born in 1853. Some researchers have placed his father's place of birth in Cuba, while others have suggested other locations; according to Antonio Rivero Taravillo, he was born in Seville, while Ronan Fanning has him born in the Basque Country. He was born at the Nursery and Child's Hospital in Lenox Hill, Manhattan, a home for destitute orphans and abandoned children. According to Coll, Juan Vivion died in 1885 leaving Coll and her child in poor circumstances. Éamon was taken to Ireland by his uncle Ned at the age of two. When his mother remarried in the mid-1880s, he was not brought back to live with her, but was reared by his grandmother, Elizabeth Coll, her son Patrick and her daughter Hannie, in Bruree, County Limerick. He was educated locally at Bruree National School, County Limerick, and C.B.S. Charleville, County Cork. Aged sixteen, he won a scholarship. He was accepted at Blackrock College, Dublin, at the instigation of his local curate. He played rugby at Blackrock and Rockwell College, then for Munster around 1905. At the end of his first year at Blackrock College, he was student of the year. He also won further scholarships and exhibitions in 1903. De Valera was appointed teacher of mathematics at Rockwell College, County Tipperary, where he was first given the nickname 'Dev' by a teaching colleague, Tom O'Donnell. In 1904, he graduated in mathematics from the Royal University of Ireland. He then studied for a year at Trinity College Dublin but, owing to the necessity of earning a living, did not proceed further and returned to teaching, this time at Belvedere College. In 1906, he secured a post as a teacher of mathematics at Carysfort Teachers' Training College for women in Blackrock, Dublin. He obtained a part-time appointment at St Patrick's College, Maynooth and also taught mathematics at various Dublin schools, including Castleknock College (1910–1911; under the name Edward de Valera) and Belvedere College. He was involved in the foundation of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies in 1940, to which he invited scientists such as Erwin Schrödinger. He reportedly did mathematics while jailed and awaiting possible execution in 1916. As a young Gaeilgeoir (Irish speaker), de Valera became an activist for the Irish language. In 1908, he joined the Árdchraobh of Conradh na Gaeilge (the Gaelic League), where he met Sinéad Flanagan, a teacher by profession and four years his senior. They were married on 8 January 1910 at St Paul's Church, Arran Quay, Dublin. The couple had five sons: Vivion, Éamon, Brian, Rúaidhrí, and Terence; and two daughters: Máirín and Emer. Brian de Valera predeceased his parents. On 24 April 1916, the Easter Rising began. Forces commanded by de Valera occupied Boland's Mill on Grand Canal Street in Dublin. His chief task was to cover the southeastern approaches to the city. After a week of fighting, the order came from Pádraig Pearse to surrender. De Valera was court-martialled, convicted, and sentenced to death, but the sentence was immediately commuted to penal servitude for life. It has been argued that his life was saved by four facts: he was one of the last to surrender and held in a different prison from other leaders, thus his execution was delayed; the US Consulate in Dublin made representations before his trial; the UK was trying to bring the US into the war in Europe at the time. After the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, de Valera served as the political leader of Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin until 1926, when he, along with many supporters, left the party to set up Fianna Fáil, a new political party – of which he became the founding leader – which abandoned the policy of abstentionism from Dáil Éireann in favour of working to republicanise the Irish Free State from within. De Valera went on to be at the forefront of Irish politics until the turn of the 1960s. He took over as president of the Executive Council from W. T. Cosgrave in 1932 and later, with the adoption of the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, became Taoiseach. With a total of 21 years in office, he is the longest-serving Irish head of government by total days served in the post. He resigned in 1959 upon his election as President of Ireland. By then, he had led Fianna Fáil for 33 years and he, along with older founding members, began to take a less prominent role relative to newer ministers such as Jack Lynch, Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney. De Valera served as the head of state from 1959 to 1973, two full terms in office. De Valera's political beliefs evolved from militant Irish republicanism to strong social, cultural and fiscal conservatism. He has been characterised as having a stern and unbending demeanour, and also a devious personality. His roles in the Civil War have also been interpreted as making him a divisive figure in Irish history. Biographer Tim Pat Coogan sees his time in power as being characterised by economic and cultural stagnation, while Diarmaid Ferriter argues that the stereotype of de Valera as an austere, cold, and even backward figure was largely manufactured in the 1960s and is misguided.

Reader's Guide

De Valera's significance lies in his long dominance of Irish politics and his role in shaping the modern Irish state. He had a leading role in introducing the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, and was a dominant figure in Irish political circles from the early 1930s to the late 1960s, when he served terms as both the head of government and head of state. As founder of Fianna Fáil, he shifted republican politics from abstentionism to parliamentary participation. His legacy is contested: biographer Tim Pat Coogan sees his time in power as marked by economic and cultural stagnation, while Diarmaid Ferriter argues that the stereotype of de Valera as austere and backward was largely manufactured in the 1960s and is misguided. He was a divisive figure, particularly due to his roles in the Civil War. His tenure as head of government—21 years—is the longest in Irish history. He resigned in 1959 upon his election as President of Ireland. By then, he had led Fianna Fáil for 33 years and he, along with older founding members, began to take a less prominent role relative to newer ministers such as Jack Lynch, Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney. De Valera served as the head of state from 1959 to 1973, two full terms in office.

Did You Know?

• De Valera's birth certificate initially listed his name as George de Valero and his father as Vivion de Valero.
• He was born at the Nursery and Child's Hospital in Lenox Hill, Manhattan, a home for destitute orphans and abandoned children.
• He played rugby for Munster around 1905 and remained a lifelong devotee of rugby, attending international matches even towards the end of his life when he was nearly blind.
• He reportedly did mathematics while jailed and awaiting possible execution in 1916.
• He was involved in the foundation of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies in 1940, to which he invited scientists such as Erwin Schrödinger.