Éamon de Valera
3rd President of Ireland
In office 25 June 1959 – 24 June 1973
Preceded by	Seán T. O'Kelly
Succeeded by	Erskine H. Childers
1st Taoiseach
In office 29 December 1937 – 18 February 1948
Preceded by	Himself as President of the Executive Council
Succeeded by	John A. Costello
In office 13 June 1951 – 2 June 1954
Preceded by	John A. Costello
Succeeded by	John A. Costello
In office 20 March 1957 – 23 June 1959
Preceded by	John A. Costello
Succeeded by	Seán Lemass
2nd President of the Executive Council
In office 9 March 1932 – 29 December 1937
Preceded by	W. T. Cosgrave
Succeeded by	Himself as Taoiseach
Born	14 October 1882 (1882-10-14) Manhattan, New York
Died	29 August 1975 (aged 92) Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil (formerly Sinn Féin)
Spouse	Sinéad Bean de Valera
Profession	Teacher
Religion	Roman Catholic

Éamon de Valera^[1][2] (IPA: /ˈeɪmən dɛvəˈlɛrə/) (born Edward George de Valera) 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was one of the dominant political figures in 20th century Ireland. The President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Head of state of Ireland. Events 524 - Battle of Vézeronce, the Franks defeat the Burgundians The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Seán Thomas O'Kelly (Seán Tomás Ó Ceallaigh 25 August 1882–23 November 1966 was the second President of Ireland (1945–1959 Erskine Hamilton Childers (11 December 1905 &ndash 17 November 1974 served as the fourth President of Ireland from 1973 until his death in 1974 The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State ( Irish: Uachtarán ar Ard-Chomhairle Shaorstát Éireann) was the Head of government or prime For other persons named John Costello see John Costello John Aloysius Costello (Seán A Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) For other persons named John Costello see John Costello John Aloysius Costello (Seán A For other persons named John Costello see John Costello John Aloysius Costello (Seán A Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For other persons named John Costello see John Costello John Aloysius Costello (Seán A Seán Francis Lemass (15 July 1899 &ndash 11 May 1971 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and third Taoiseach of Ireland from 1959 until 1966 The President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State ( Irish: Uachtarán ar Ard-Chomhairle Shaorstát Éireann) was the Head of government or prime Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. William Thomas Cosgrave (Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair 6 June 1880 &ndash 16 November 1965 known generally as W The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York The City of New York Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970 Sinéad de Valera, also known as Sinéad Ní Fhlannagáin and Sinéad Bean de Valera (ɕɪnʲedʲ bʲen̪ˠ dʲɛ vʲalʲɛrˠa In Education, a teacher is one who helps Students or pupils often in a School, as well as in a Family, religious or Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Co-owner of one of the Irish Press Newspapers, he served in public office from 1917 to 1973, holding the various Irish prime ministerial and presidential offices. The Irish Press was an Irish Newspaper published by Irish Press plc between September 5 1931, on the eve of the 1931 Kilkenny v Cork He was a significant leader of Ireland's struggle for independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the early 20th century, and the Republican anti-Treaty opposition in the ensuing Irish Civil War. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 Irish republicanism (Poblachtánachas is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent Republic The Anglo-Irish Treaty (An Conradh Angla-Éireannach officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a Treaty The Irish Civil War ( June 28 1922 &ndash May 24 1923) pitted supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty against its opponents After the formation of Fianna Fáil, his militant republicanism moderated towards conservatism. Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the ^[3] De Valera is also often cited as the principal author of Bunreacht na hÉireann (the Constitution of Ireland). The Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann came into force on 29 December 1937 after having been passed by a national plebiscite the previous July The Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann came into force on 29 December 1937 after having been passed by a national plebiscite the previous July

His family

De Valera was born in the New York Nursery and Child's Hospital in New York City in 1882 to an Irish mother; he stated that his parents, Catherine Coll de Valera Wheelwright, an immigrant from Bruree, County Limerick, and Juan Vivion de Valera, a Spanish-Cuban settler and sculptor, were married on September 18th in 1881 at St. The City of New York Catherine Coll (1858 – 12 June, 1932) usually known by her nickname Kate was the mother of Irish President and Taoiseach County Limerick ( Contae Luimnigh in Irish) is a County in the Province of Munster, located in the mid-west of Ireland with County The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Patrick's Church located within the Greenville Section of Jersey City, NJ. (Source: Ancient Order of Hibernians History http://aoh32.org/2006_09_01_archive.html). However, exhaustive trawls through church and state records give no birth, baptismal, or death certificate information for anyone called Juan Vivion de Valera or de Valeros, an alternative spelling. The historian Sean Murphy has listed the long-term search for facts about Mr de Valera, allowing that he may have come from New Mexico, and was perhaps returning there at the time of his death. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. ^[4]

On de Valera's original birth certificate, his name is given as George De Valero and his father is listed as Vivion De Valero. The first name was corrected in 1910 (possibly 1916) to Edward and the surname to de Valera. ^[4]

There were a number of occasions when de Valera seriously contemplated the religious life like his half-brother, Fr. Thomas Wheelwright. Yet he did not do so, and apparently received little encouragement from the priests whose advice he sought. Éamon de Valera was throughout his life portrayed as a deeply religious man, who in death asked to be buried in a religious habit. While his biographer, Tim Pat Coogan, speculated that questions surrounding de Valera's legitimacy may have been a deciding factor in his not entering religious life, being illegitimate would only have been a bar to receiving orders as a secular or diocesan cleric, not as a member of a religious order. Timothy Patrick Coogan (born 1935 is an Irish Historian, broadcaster and newspaper columnist A cleric ( Ancient Greek κληρικός - klērikos clergyman (pl A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion usually ^[5]

Juan Vivion died in 1885 leaving his widow and child in poor circumstances. ^[6] Éamon was taken to Ireland by his Uncle Ned at the age of two. Even when his mother married a new husband in the mid-1880s, he was not brought back to live with her but reared instead by his grandmother Elizabeth Coll, her son Patrick and her daughter Hannie, in County Limerick. County Limerick ( Contae Luimnigh in Irish) is a County in the Province of Munster, located in the mid-west of Ireland with County He was educated locally at Bruree National School, County Limerick and Charleville Christian Brothers School, County Cork. County Limerick ( Contae Luimnigh in Irish) is a County in the Province of Munster, located in the mid-west of Ireland with County Charleville or Ráth Luirc ( Ráth Luirc or An Ráth in Irish) is a Town in north County Cork, Ireland, The Congregation of Christian Brothers (officially in Latin: Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum) is a world-wide community of religious brothers within County Cork (Contae Chorcaí is the most southerly and the largest of the modern counties of Ireland. At the age of sixteen, he won a scholarship to Blackrock College, County Dublin. Blackrock College (Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe is a Catholic, private voluntary, fee-paying Secondary school for boys located in Williamstown County Dublin (Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath or more correctly today the Dublin Region ( Réigiúin Átha Cliath) is the area that contains the city of Dublin It was at Blackrock College that de Valera began playing rugby. Blackrock College (Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe is a Catholic, private voluntary, fee-paying Secondary school for boys located in Williamstown Later during his tenure at Rockwell College, he joined the school's rugby team where he played fullback on the first team, which reached the final of the Munster Senior Cup. Rockwell College, founded in 1864 is a well known private catholic secondary school near Cashel in South Tipperary, Republic of Ireland. De Valera was a close friend of the Ryan brothers at Rockwell who played on Ireland's Triple Crown-winning team in 1899. De Valera went on to play for the Munster rugby team in the mid 1900s in the fullback position and remained a lifelong devotee of rugby, attending numerous international matches up to and towards the end of his life despite near blindness. He also developed an intensely close relationship with the Holy Ghost Order and its Blackrock College school from this time.

Always a diligent student, at the end of his first year in Blackrock College he was Student of the Year. Blackrock College (Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe is a Catholic, private voluntary, fee-paying Secondary school for boys located in Williamstown He also won further scholarships and exhibitions and in 1903 was appointed teacher of mathematics at Rockwell College, County Tipperary. Rockwell College, founded in 1864 is a well known private catholic secondary school near Cashel in South Tipperary, Republic of Ireland. County Tipperary (Contae Thiobraid Árann is a County in Ireland situated in the Province of Munster. It was here that de Valera 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 and then went back to Dublin to teach at Blackrock College. The Royal University of Ireland was founded in accordance with the University Education (Ireland Act 1879 as an examining and degree-awarding university based on the model of Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Blackrock College (Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe is a Catholic, private voluntary, fee-paying Secondary school for boys located in Williamstown In 1906, he secured a post as teacher of mathematics at Carysfort Teachers' Training College for women in Blackrock, County Dublin. Our Lady of Mercy College Carysfort (commonly known as Carysfort College) was an important College of Education in Dublin, Ireland from its Blackrock (An Charraig Dhubh is a suburban town and district located south of the city of Dublin, in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland, northwest His applications for professorships in colleges of the National University of Ireland were unsuccessful, but he obtained a part-time appointment at Maynooth and also taught mathematics at various Dublin schools, including Belvedere College where he taught Kevin Barry, an Irish republican executed for his part in an ambush of British Soldiers during the Irish War of Independence. The National University of Ireland ( NUI) (Ollscoil na hÉireann is a federal University system of constituent universities, previously called Maynooth ( Maigh Nuad in Irish) is a university town located in north County Kildare, Ireland. Belvedere College SJ is a private Secondary school for boys located on Great Denmark Street Dublin, Ireland. Kevin Gerard Barry (Caoimhín de Barra 20 January 1902 - 1 November 1920) was the first Republican to be executed by the British since the leaders The Irish War of Independence (or Tan War, or Anglo-Irish War, Irish: Cogadh na Saoirse) from January 1919 to July 1921 was a guerrilla

De Valera's children were five sons Vivion, Éamon, Brian, Ruairi and Terence (Terry), and two daughters, Máirín and Emer.

Since the foundation of the state, a de Valera has nearly always served in Dáil Éireann. ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Éamon de Valera served until 1959, his son, Vivion de Valera, was also a Teachta Dála (TD). Vivion de Valera (13 December 1910 – 16 February 1982 was an Irish scientist businessman Lawyer, and politician A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. ^[7] Éamon Ó Cuív, his grandson, is currently a member of the Dáil and his granddaughter, Síle de Valera is a former TD. Éamon Ó Cuív (born 23 June 1950 is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and is currently the Minister for Community Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs. Síle de Valera (ˈʃiːlʲə ˌdɛvəˈlɛɹə (born 17 December 1954 is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician Both have served in ministries in the Irish Government. The Government of Ireland (Rialtas na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.

Early political activity

An intelligent young 'Gaeilgeoir' (Irish speaker), he became an activist for the language. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. 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. Conradh na Gaeilge ( 'The Gaelic League' is an organization "for the purpose of keeping the Irish language spoken in Ireland. Sinéad de Valera, also known as Sinéad Ní Fhlannagáin and Sinéad Bean de Valera (ɕɪnʲedʲ bʲen̪ˠ dʲɛ vʲalʲɛrˠa They were married on 8 January 1910 at St Paul's Church, Arran Quay, Dublin. Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland.

While he was already involved in the Gaelic Revival, de Valera's involvement in the political revolution began on 25 November 1913 when he joined the Irish Volunteers formed to oppose the Ulster Volunteers and ensure the enactment of the Irish Parliamentary Party's Third Home Rule Act won by its leader John Redmond. For the Gaelic resurgence to overthrow English supremacy in the 14th-16th century see Gaelic resurgence. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Irish Volunteers ( Óglaigh na hÉireann) was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. The Ulster Volunteers were a unionist militia founded in 1912 to block Home Rule for Ireland. The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP (commonly called the Irish Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing The Home Rule Act of 1914, also known as the ( Irish) Third Home Rule Act (or Bill) and formally known as the Government of Ireland Act 1914 John Edward Redmond (Seán Éamonn Mac Réamoinn (1 September 1856 &ndash 6 March 1918 was an Irish nationalist Politician, Barrister, MP After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, de Valera rose through the ranks and it was not long before he was elected captain of the Donnybrook company. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Donnybrook ( Irish Domhnach Broc, meaning The Church of Broc) is a district of Dublin, Ireland. Preparations were pushed ahead for an armed revolt, and he was made commandant of the Third Battalion and adjutant of the Dublin Brigade. He was sworn by Thomas MacDonagh into the oath-bound Irish Republican Brotherhood, which secretly controlled the central executive of the Volunteers. Thomas MacDonagh ( Tomás Mac Donnchadha) ( 1 February, 1878 &ndash 3 May, 1916) was an Irish nationalist, Poet, The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic Republic" in the mid nineteenth

Easter Rising

On 24 April 1916 the rising began. Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year De Valera occupied Boland's Mills, Grand Canal Street in Dublin, his chief task being to cover the south-eastern approaches to the city. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. After a week of fighting the order came from Pádraig Pearse to surrender. Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig Pearse; Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais An Piarsach; 10 November 1879 &ndash 3 May 1916 was a teacher barrister De Valera was court-martialled, convicted, and sentenced to death, but the sentence was immediately commuted to penal servitude for life. Penal labour or penal servitude is a form of Unfree labour. The term may refer to two different notions labour as a form of punishment and labour as a form of occupation It has been argued that he was saved by two facts: firstly, he was held in a different prison from other leaders, thus his execution was delayed by practicalities; had he been held with Pádraig Pearse, James Connolly and others, he probably would have been one of the first executed; and secondly, his American birth delayed his execution, while the full legal situation (i. James Connolly (Séamas Ó Conghaile 5 June 1868 &ndash 12 May 1916 was an Irish Socialist leader e. , was he actually a United States citizen and if so, how would the United States react to the execution of one of its citizens?) was clarified. The fact that Britain was trying to bring the USA into the war in Europe at the time made the situation even more delicate. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 Both delays taken together meant that, while he was next-in-line for execution, when the time came for a decision, all executions had been halted in view of the negative public reaction. Timing, location, and questions relating to citizenship may have saved de Valera's life.

De Valera's supporters and detractors argue about de Valera's bravery during the Easter Rising. The Easter Rising (Éirí Amach na Cásca was a rebellion staged in Ireland in Easter Week, 1916 His supporters claim he showed leadership skills and a meticulous ability for planning. His detractors claim he suffered a nervous breakdown during the Rising. Mental breakdown (also known as nervous breakdown or snapping) is a non-medical term used to describe a sudden acute attack of Mental illness such as According to accounts from 1916 de Valera was seen running about, giving conflicting orders, refusing to sleep and on one occasion, having forgotten the password, almost getting himself shot in the dark by his own men. According to one account, de Valera, on being forced to sleep by one subordinate who promised to sit beside him and wake him if he was needed, suddenly woke up, his eyes "wild," screaming, "Set fire to the railway! Set fire to the railway!" Later in the Ballykinlar internment Camp one de Valera loyalist approached another internee, a medical doctor, recounted the story and asked for a medical opinion as to de Valera's condition. Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people commonly in large groups without trial He also threatened to sue the doctor, future Fine Gael TD and minister, Dr. Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (ˌfina gail meaning Family of the Irish or Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest Tom O'Higgins, if he ever repeated the story. ^[8]

After imprisonment in Dartmoor, Maidstone and Lewes prisons, de Valera and his comrades were released under an amnesty in June 1917. HM Prison Dartmoor is located in Princetown, high on Dartmoor in the English County of Devon. Maidstone is the County town of Kent, England, south-east of London. Lewes (ˈluːɨs Lewis) is the County town of East Sussex, England and gives its name to the Local government district in which it On 10 July 1917 he was elected member of the British House of Commons for East Clare (the constituency which he represented until 1959) in a by-election caused by the death of the previous incumbent Willie Redmond who had died fighting in World War I. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords East Clare was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland returning one Member of Parliament 1885-1922 William Hoey Kearney Redmond ( 15 April, 1861 &ndash 9 June, 1917) (commonly known as Willie Redmond) was an Irish World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All In the 1918 general election he was elected both for that seat and Mayo East. The Irish general election of 1918 was that part of the 1918 United Kingdom general election that took place in Ireland. East Mayo was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland returning one Member of Parliament (MP 1885-1922 From 1917 he was president of Sinn Féin, the party which had wrongly been credited by the British for the Easter Rising and which the survivors of the Rising took over and then turned into a republican party. Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970 A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its The previous president of Sinn Féin, Arthur Griffith, had championed an Anglo-Irish "dual monarchy", with an independent Ireland governed separately from Britain, their only link being a shared monarch. Arthur Griffith (Art Ó Gríobhtha 31 March 1872 &ndash 12 August 1922 was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. That had been the situation with the Constitution of 1782 under Henry Grattan, until Ireland was subsumed into the Kingdom of Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. The Constitution of 1782 is a collective term given to a series of legal changes which freed the Parliament of Ireland, a mediaeval body made up of the Irish House Henry Grattan (3 July 1746 &ndash 6 June 1821 was a member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927

President of Dáil Éireann

Príomh Aire
Cathal Brugha (January–April 1919)
Éamon de Valera (1919–August 1921)
President of The Republic
Éamon de Valera (August 1921–1922)
President of Dáil Éireann
Arthur Griffith (January–August 1922)
W. T. Cosgrave (August–December 1922)
Office abolished December 1922

Sinn Féin won a huge majority in the 1918 general election, largely thanks to the British executions of the 1916 leaders, the threat of conscription with the Conscription Crisis of 1918 and the first past the post ballot. Cathal Brugha ( pronounced bˠɾˠuː born Charles William St Arthur Griffith (Art Ó Gríobhtha 31 March 1872 &ndash 12 August 1922 was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. William Thomas Cosgrave (Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair 6 June 1880 &ndash 16 November 1965 known generally as W The Irish general election of 1918 was that part of the 1918 United Kingdom general election that took place in Ireland. General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell KCB, KCMG, CVO, DSO (1859 - 1929 was a British Army officer and colonial governor The Conscription Crisis of 1918 stemmed from a move by the Government of the United Kingdom to impose Conscription in Ireland, and contributed to pivotal They won 73 out of 105 Irish seats, with about 47% of votes cast. Such was the level of support for the party, 25 seats were uncontested. In January 1919, 27 Sinn Féin MPs (the rest were imprisoned or impaired), calling themselves Teachtaí Dála (TDs), assembled in the Mansion House in Dublin on 21 January 1919 and formed an Irish parliament, known as Dáil Éireann (translatable into English as the Assembly of Ireland). A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. The Mansion House ( on Dawson Street Dublin, is the Official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin and has been since 1715 Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The First Dáil (An Chéad Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919&ndash1921 A ministry or Aireacht was formed, under the leadership of the Príomh Aire (also called President of Dáil Éireann) Cathal Brugha. The Aireacht or Ministry was the cabinet of the 1919–1922 Irish Republic. The President of Dáil Éireann was the leader of the revolutionary Irish Republic of 1919&ndash1921 The President of Dáil Éireann was the leader of the revolutionary Irish Republic of 1919&ndash1921 Cathal Brugha ( pronounced bˠɾˠuː born Charles William St De Valera had been re-arrested in May 1918 and imprisoned and so could not attend the January session of the Dáil. He escaped from Lincoln Gaol in February 1919. As a result he replaced Brugha as Príomh Aire in the April session of Dáil Éireann. However, the Dáil Constitution passed by the Dáil in 1919 made clear that the Príomh Aire (or President of Dáil Éireann as it came to be called) was merely prime minister - the literal translation of Príomh Aire - not a full head of state. The Constitution of Dáil Éireann (Bunreacht Dála Éireann was the constitution of the 1919–22 Irish Republic. This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state

In the hope of securing international recognition, Seán T. O'Kelly was sent as envoy to Paris to present the Irish case to the Peace Conference convened by the great powers at the end of the World War I. Seán Thomas O'Kelly (Seán Tomás Ó Ceallaigh 25 August 1882–23 November 1966 was the second President of Ireland (1945–1959 Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All When it became clear by May 1919 that this mission could not succeed, de Valera decided to visit the United States. The mission had three objectives: to ask for official recognition of the Irish Republic, to float a loan to finance the work of the Government (and by extension, the Irish Republican Army), and to secure the support of the American people for the republic. The Irish Republic ( Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann or Saorstát Éireann) was a unilaterally declared independent state of Ireland proclaimed The Irish Republican Army ( IRA) (Óglaigh na hÉireann was a military organisation descended from the Irish Volunteers, established 25 November 1913 and who His visit lasted from June 1919 to December 1920 and had mixed success. He met the young Harvard-educated leader from Puerto Rico, Pedro Albizu Campos and forged a lasting and useful alliance with him. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} Pedro Albizu Campos (June 29 1893 or September 12 1891 &ndash April 21 1965 was a Puerto Rican Politician and advocate of Puerto Rican independence De Valera managed to raise a sum of $5,500,000 from American supporters, an amount that far exceeded the hopes of the Dáil. ^[9] Of this, $500,000 was devoted to the American presidential campaign in 1920 which helped him gain wider public support there. ^[10] In 1921 it was said that $1,466,000 had already been spent, and it is unclear when the net balance arrived in Ireland. ^[11] Recognition was not forthcoming in the international sphere. He also had difficulties with various Irish-American leaders, such as John Devoy and Judge Colohan, who resented the dominant position he established, preferring to retain their control over Irish affairs in the United States. Irish Americans (Gael-Mheiriceánach are citizens of the United States who can claim ancestry originating in Ireland. John Devoy (1842-1928 was an Irish Rebel leader and exile Early life Devoy was born near Kill County Kildare. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Meanwhile in Ireland, conflict between the British authorities and the Dáil (which they declared illegal in September 1919) escalated into the Irish War of Independence (also called the 'Anglo-Irish War'). Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at The Irish War of Independence (or Tan War, or Anglo-Irish War, Irish: Cogadh na Saoirse) from January 1919 to July 1921 was a guerrilla The Long Fellow (or An t-Amadán Fada, another of de Valera's nicknames, given to him because of his great height, meaning the Long Fool) left day to day government, during his eighteen month absence in America, to Michael Collins (The Big Fellow), his twenty-nine year old Minister for Finance and rival. Michael John ("Mick" Collins (Mícheál Seán Ó Coileáin 16 October 1890 &ndash 22 August 1922 was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for The Minister for Finance (Aire Airgeadais is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters

President of the Republic

In January 1921, at his first Dáil meeting after his return to a country gripped by the War of Independence, de Valera introduced a motion calling on the IRA to desist from ambushes and other tactics that were allowing the British to successfully portray it as a terrorist group, and to take on the British forces with conventional military methods. The Irish Republican Army ( IRA) (Óglaigh na hÉireann was a military organisation descended from the Irish Volunteers, established 25 November 1913 and who Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion This they strongly opposed, and de Valera relented issuing a statement expressing support for the IRA, and claimed it was fully under the control of the Dáil. He then, along with Cathal Brugha and Austin Stack, brought pressure to bear on Michael Collins to undertake a journey to the U. Austin Stack (7 December 1879 – 27 April 1929 was an Irish revolutionary S. himself, on the pretext that only he could take up where de Valera had left off. Collins successfully resisted this move, and stayed in Ireland. In the elections of May 1921, all candidates in Southern Ireland were returned unopposed, and Sinn Féin secured some seats in Northern Ireland. Two elections in Ireland took place in 1921 as a result of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 to establish the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland (Deisceart Éireann was the short lived autonomous region (or Constituent country) of the United Kingdom established on 3 May Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Following the Truce of July, 1921 which ended the war, de Valera went to see David Lloyd George in London on 14 July. The Irish War of Independence (or Tan War, or Anglo-Irish War, Irish: Cogadh na Saoirse) from January 1919 to July 1921 was a guerrilla David Lloyd George 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM, PC (17 January 1863 &ndash 26 March 1945 was a British Statesman and the only Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. No agreement was reached, and by then the parliament of Northern Ireland had met. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of

In August 1921 de Valera secured Dáil Éireann approval to change the 1919 Dáil Constitution to upgrade his office from prime minister or chairman of the cabinet to a full President of the Republic. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity President of the Republic was the title given to the head of the Irish ministry or Aireacht in August 1921 by an amendment to the Dáil Constitution, which replaced Declaring himself now the Irish equivalent of King George V, he argued that as Irish head of state, in the absence of the British head of state from the negotiations, he too should not attend the peace conference called the Treaty Negotiations (October–December 1921) at which British and Irish government leaders agreed to the effective independence of twenty-six of Ireland's thirty-two counties as the Irish Free State, with Northern Ireland choosing to remain under British sovereignty. The Anglo-Irish Treaty (An Conradh Angla-Éireannach officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a Treaty Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by Having done so, a boundary commission came into place to redraw the Irish border. The Boundary Commission was established by the Anglo-Irish Treaty that ended the Anglo-Irish War in 1921 Nationalists expected its report to recommend that largely nationalist areas become part of the Free State, and many hoped this would make Northern Ireland so small it would not be economically viable. Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and A Council of Ireland was also provided in the Treaty as a model for an eventual all-Irish parliament. The Council of Ireland (Comhairle na hÉireann may refer to one of two councils one established in the 1920s the other in the 1970s Hence neither the pro- nor anti-Treaty sides made much complaint about partition in the Treaty debates. The Partition of Ireland took place on 3 May 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The Treaty Debates was a series of debates of the Second Dáil sitting in Dublin between the supporters and opponents of the Treaty signed on 6 December They all expected it would prove short-lived.

Anglo-Irish Treaty

The Republic's delegates to the Treaty Negotiations were accredited by President de Valera and his cabinet as plenipotentiaries (that is, negotiators with the legal authority to sign a treaty without reference back to the cabinet), but were given secret cabinet instructions by de Valera that required them to return to Dublin before signing the Treaty. The Anglo-Irish Treaty (An Conradh Angla-Éireannach officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a Treaty The word plenipotentiary (from the Latin, plenus + potens, full + power has two meanings However, the Treaty proved controversial in Ireland insofar as it replaced the Republic by a dominion of the British Commonwealth with the King represented by a Governor-General of the Irish Free State. A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities under sovereign authority within the British Empire and The Governor-General (Seanascal was the representative of the King in the 1922&ndash1937 Irish Free State. The Irish Treaty delegates Arthur Griffith, Robert Barton, and Michael Collins supported by Robert Erskine Childers as Secretary General set up their delegation headquarters at 22 Hans Place in Knightsbridge. Arthur Griffith (Art Ó Gríobhtha 31 March 1872 &ndash 12 August 1922 was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. Robert Childers Barton (Riobárd Bartún (1881&ndash10 August 1975 was a Irish lawyer statesman and farmer who participated in the negotiations leading up to the signature Robert Erskine Childers DSC (25 June 1870&ndash24 November 1922 was an author and Irish nationalist who was executed by the authorities of the nascent Hans Place, London SW1, England, is a prime residential garden square situated immediately south of Harrods in Knightsbridge. Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of Central London. It was there, at 11. 15am on 5 December 1921, that the decision was made to recommend the Treaty to the Dáil Éireann; the Treaty was finally signed by the delegates after further negotiations which closed at 02:20 on 6 December 1921. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar

De Valera baulked at the agreement. His opponents claimed that he had refused to join the negotiations because he knew what the outcome would be and did not wish to receive the blame. De Valera claimed that he had not gone to the treaty negotiations because he would be better able to control the extremists at home, and that his absence would allow leverage for the plenipotentiaries to refer back to him and not be pressured into any agreements. Because of the secret instructions given to the plenipotentiaries, he reacted to news of the signing of the Treaty not with anger at its contents (which he refused even to read when offered a newspaper report of its contents), but with anger over the fact that they had not consulted with him, their president, before signing. All of this, of course, was despite the fact that de Valera had refused to go to the treaty negotiations in the first place. His ideal drafts, presented to a secret session of the Dáil during the Treaty Debates and publicised in January 1922, were ingenious compromises but they included dominion status, the 'Treaty Ports', the fact of partition subject to veto by the parliament in Belfast, and some continuing status for the King as head of the Commonwealth. Ireland's share of the imperial debt was to be paid. ^[12]

After the Treaty was narrowly ratified by 64 to 57, de Valera and a large minority of Sinn Féin TDs left Dáil Éireann. He then resigned and Arthur Griffith was elected President of Dáil Éireann in his place, though respectfully still calling him 'The President'. The President of Dáil Éireann was the leader of the revolutionary Irish Republic of 1919&ndash1921 In March 1922, de Valera made an angry speech in Carrick on Suir saying that, if the Treaty was accepted, it might be necessary to "wade through Irish blood" to achieve Irish freedom. Carrick-on-Suir (Carraig na Siuire is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. In Thurles, several days later, he repeated this imagery and added that the IRA "would have to wade through, perhaps, the blood of some of the members of the Government, in order to get Irish freedom. Thurles (pronounced /θɜɹlɛs/ or locally /tɜrləs/ Dúrlas Éile is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland, situated on the River Suir, with a " De Valera's detractors claim that this was an incitement to civil war. His supporters say that de Valera was lamenting the fact that the British had managed to divide Irish nationalists with the Treaty, but the text was inevitably a compromise as Sinn Féin was not in a position to dictate its terms.

De Valera's major problem with the Treaty was twofold. Firstly, he objected to the statement of fidelity that the treaty required Irish parlimentarians to take to the King. Secondly, he was concerned that Ireland could not have an independent foreign policy as part of the British Commonwealth when the British retained several naval ports (see Treaty Ports) around Ireland's coast. After the Irish War of Independence when the Irish Free State won independence in 1922 three deep water Treaty Ports at Lough Swilly, Berehaven As a compromise, de Valera proposed "external association" with the British Empire, which would leave Ireland's foreign policy in her own hands and a republican constitution with no mention of the British monarch (he proposed this as early as April, well before the negotiations began). Michael Collins was prepared to accept this formula and the two wings (pro- and anti-Treaty) of Sinn Féin formed a pact to fight the Irish general election, 1922 together and form a coalition government afterwards. Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970 The Irish general election of 1922 took place in Southern Ireland on 16 June 1922 under the provisions of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to elect a constituent assembly De Valera's opponents won the election and civil war broke out shortly afterwards in late June 1922.

Civil War

Main article: Irish Civil War

Relations between the new Irish government, which was backed by most of the Dáil and the electorate, and the anti-Treatyites under the nominal leadership of de Valera, now descended into the Irish Civil War (June, 1922 to May 1923), in which the pro-treaty Free State forces defeated the anti-Treaty IRA. The Irish Civil War ( June 28 1922 &ndash May 24 1923) pitted supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty against its opponents The Irish Civil War ( June 28 1922 &ndash May 24 1923) pitted supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty against its opponents Both sides had wanted to avoid civil war, but fighting broke out over the takeover of the Four Courts building in Dublin by anti-Treaty members of the IRA. The Four Courts (Na Ceithre Cúirteanna in Dublin is the Republic of Ireland 's main courts building These men were not loyal to de Valera and initially were not even supported by the executive of the anti-Treaty IRA. However, Michael Collins was forced to act against them when Winston Churchill threatened to re-occupy the country with British troops unless action was taken. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 When fighting broke out in Dublin between the Four Courts garrison and the new Free State army, republicans backed the IRA men in the Four Courts and civil war broke out. De Valera, though he held no military position, backed the anti-Treaty IRA or "Irregulars" and said that he was re-enlisting in the IRA as an ordinary volunteer. This article deals with the Irish republican organisation opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty styling itself "Irish Republican Army" as it existed from the time of the Treaty On 8 September 1922, he met in secret with Richard Mulcahy in Dublin, to try to halt the fighting. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Richard James Mulcahy (Risteárd Séamus Ó Maolchatha (10 May 1886 &ndash 16 December 1971 was an Irish politician, Army general and Commander in However, according to de Valera, they "could not find a basis" for agreement.

Though nominally head of the anti-Treatyites, de Valera had little influence. He does not seem to have been involved in any fighting and had little or no influence with the military republican leadership - headed by IRA Chief of Staff, Liam Lynch. For other people named Liam Lynch see Liam Lynch Liam Lynch (Liam Ó Loinsigh 9 November, 1893 &ndash 10 April De Valera and the anti-Treaty TDs formed a "republican government" on 25 October 1922 from anti-Treaty TDs to "be temporarily the Supreme Executive of the Republic and the State, until such time as the elected Parliament of the Republic can freely assemble, or the people being rid of external aggression are at liberty to decide freely how they are to be governed". A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. A principle within Irish republicanism, the concept of Irish republican legitimatism denies the legitimacy of the political entities of Republic of Ireland and Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. However it had no real authority and was a pale shadow of the republican Dáil government of 1919–21, which had provided an alternative government to the British administration. Among the Civil War's many tragedies were the murder of Michael Collins, who was the head of the Provisional Government, the death through exhaustion of the President of Dáil Éireann, Arthur Griffith, and the Free State execution of the treaty delegation adviser, Robert Erskine Childers among others. Michael John ("Mick" Collins (Mícheál Seán Ó Coileáin 16 October 1890 &ndash 22 August 1922 was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a previous administration or regime The President of Dáil Éireann was the leader of the revolutionary Irish Republic of 1919&ndash1921 Arthur Griffith (Art Ó Gríobhtha 31 March 1872 &ndash 12 August 1922 was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. The executions during the Irish Civil War took place during the guerrilla phase of the Irish Civil War (October 1922 – May 1923 This phase of the war was bitter and both Robert Erskine Childers DSC (25 June 1870&ndash24 November 1922 was an author and Irish nationalist who was executed by the authorities of the nascent In March 1923, de Valera attended the meeting of the IRA Army Executive to decide on the future of the war. He was known to be in favour of a truce but he had no voting rights and it was narrowly decided to continue hostilities. On 30 May 1923, the IRA's new Chief of Staff Frank Aiken (Lynch had been killed) called a ceasefire and ordered volunteers to "dump arms". Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Frank Aiken (Proinsias Mac Aodhagáin new spelling Proinsias Mac Aogáin; 13 February 1898 – 18 May 1983 was a senior Irish Politician. De Valera, who had wanted an end to the internecine fighting for some time, backed the ceasefire order in a famous speech in which he called the anti-Treaty fighters "the Legion of the Rearguard", saying that "the republic can no longer be successfully defended by your arms ... Further sacrifice on your part would now be in vain and the continuance of the struggle in arms unwise in the national interest. Military victory must be allowed to rest for the moment with those who have destroyed the Republic".

After this point many of the republicans were arrested in Free state "round ups" when they had come out of hiding and returned home. De Valera was arrested in County Clare and interned until 1924. County Clare ( Irish: Contae an Chláir) commonly referred to as simply Clare, is a county on Ireland and part of the wider Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people commonly in large groups without trial

Founding of Fianna Fáil and entry into Free State Dáil

After the IRA dumped their arms rather than surrender them or continue a now fruitless war, de Valera returned to political methods. Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the In 1924 he was arrested in Newry for "illegally entering Northern Ireland" and held in solitary confinement for a month in Crumlin Road Gaol, Belfast. Newry ( short form An tIúr, "The Yew" is the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland and eighth on the island of Ireland. Solitary confinement, colloquially referred to in American English as "the hole" or "the pound" (or in British English "the block" is a Punishment HMP Belfast, also known as Crumlin Road Gaol is a former Prison situated in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. After narrowly losing a vote of the Sinn Féin party to accept the Free State Constitution (contingent on the abolition of the Oath of Allegiance), de Valera resigned from the presidency of the party and in March 1926 formed a new party, Fianna Fáil (Warriors of Ireland), a party that was to dominate twentieth century Irish politics. Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970 The Irish Oath of Allegiance was a controversial provision in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 which Irish TDs (members of the Irish parliament and Senators were required Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the The party made swift electoral gains but refused to take the Oath of Allegiance (spun by opponents as an 'Oath of Allegiance to the Crown' but actually an Oath of Allegiance to the Irish Free State with a secondary promise of fidelity to the King in his role in the Treaty settlement. The oath was actually largely the work of Michael Collins and based on three sources: British oaths in the dominions, the oath of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and a draft oath prepared by de Valera in his proposed Treaty alternative, Document No. The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic Republic" in the mid nineteenth 2). The party began a legal case to challenge the requirement that it take the Oath, but the assassination of the Vice-President of the Executive Council (i. The Vice-President of the Executive Council (Leas-Uachtarán na hArd-Chomhairle was the deputy Head of government of the 1922–1937 Irish Free State, and the second e. deputy prime minister) Kevin O'Higgins led the Executive Council under W. T. Cosgrave to introduce a Bill requiring all Dáil candidates to promise on oath that if they were elected they would take the Oath of Allegiance. Kevin Christopher O'Higgins (Caoimhín Críostóir Ó hUigín 7 June 1892 &ndash 10 July 1927 was an Irish politician who served as Vice-President of the Executive Council William Thomas Cosgrave (Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair 6 June 1880 &ndash 16 November 1965 known generally as W Forced into a corner, and faced with the option of staying outside politics forever or taking the oath and entering, de Valera and his TDs took the Oath of Allegiance in 1927.

De Valera never organised Fianna Fáil in Northern Ireland and it was not until 7 December 2007 that Fianna Fáil was registered in Northern Ireland by the UK Electoral Commission. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The Electoral Commission is a Non-departmental public body with powers in the United Kingdom, which was created by an Act of Parliament, the Political ^[13]

President of the Executive Council

In the 1932 general election Fianna Fáil secured 72 seats and became the largest party in the Dáil, although without a majority. The Irish general election of 1932 was held on 16 February 1932 just over two weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 29 January Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the Its members arrived at the first sitting of the new Dáil carrying arms, as they assumed that like them the former government would not accept the will of the people. However the transition was peaceful. De Valera was appointed President of the Executive Council (Prime Minister) by Governor-General James McNeill on 9 March. The President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State ( Irish: Uachtarán ar Ard-Chomhairle Shaorstát Éireann) was the Head of government or prime James McNeill (27 March 1869 – 12 December 1938 was an Irish politician who served as second Governor-General of the Irish Free State. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. He at once initiated steps to fulfil his election promises of abolishing the oath and withholding land annuities owed to Britain for loans provided under the Irish Land Acts and agreed as part of the 1921 Treaty. British Prime Minister William Gladstone had taken up the " Irish Question " in part to win the general election of 1868 by uniting the Liberal Party This launched the Anglo-Irish Trade War when Britain in retaliation imposed economic sanctions against Irish exports. The Anglo-Irish Trade War (also called the " Economic War " was a retaliatory Trade war between the Irish Free State and the United Kingdom De Valera responded in kind with levies on British imports. The ensuing "Economic War" lasted until 1938 and caused much distress, impoverishment and severe damage to the Irish economy.

On his advice the appointment of James McNeill as Governor-General was terminated by King George V on 1 November 1932 and a 1916 veteran, Domhnall Ua Buachalla, was appointed Seanascal in his place. James McNeill (27 March 1869 – 12 December 1938 was an Irish politician who served as second Governor-General of the Irish Free State. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Domhnall Ua Buachalla (Donal Buckley 5 February 1866 – 30 October 1963 was an Irish politician shopkeeper and member of the First Dáil who served as third Thus another symbol of monarchical authority was virtually removed. To strengthen his position against the opposition in the Dáil and Seanad, de Valera called a general election in January 1933 and won 77 seats, giving him an overall majority. The Irish general election of 1933 was held on 24 January 1933 Under his leadership, Fianna Fáil won further general elections in 1937, 1938, 1943 and 1944.

De Valera took charge of Ireland's foreign policy as well by acting as his own Minister for External Affairs. In that capacity he attended meetings of the League of Nations. The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 He was president of the Council of the League on his first appearance at Geneva in 1932 and, in a speech that made a worldwide impression, appealed for genuine adherence by its members to the principles of the Covenant of the league. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking In 1934, he supported the admission of the Soviet Union into the League. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 In September 1938 he was elected nineteenth president of the Assembly of the League, a tribute to the international recognition he had won by his independent stance on world questions.

De Valera's government followed the policy of dismantling the Treaty of 1921. In this way he would be pursuing republican policies and lessening the popularity of republican violence and the IRA. De Valera encouraged IRA members to join the Free State army and the Gardaí. The Irish Army ( Arm na hÉireann) is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces ( Óglaigh na hÉireann) He also refused to dismiss from office those Cumann na nGaedhael, Cosgrave supporters, who had previously opposed him during the Civil War. Cumann na nGaedhael (ˈkʊmən nə ˈŋɰeːɫ "Society of the Gaels" sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal, was an Irish language name given He did, however, dismiss Eoin O'Duffy from his position as Garda Commissioner after a year. Eoin O'Duffy (Eoin Ó Dubhthaigh 20 October 1892 – 30 November 1944 was in succession a Teachta Dála (TD the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army Eoin O'Duffy was then invited to be head of the Army Comrades Association (ACA) formed to protect and promote the welfare of its members, previously led by J. The Army Comrades Association (ACA later named National Guard and better known by their nickname The Blueshirts (Na Léinte Gorma were an F O'Higgins, Kevin O'Higgins brother. This organisation was an obstacle to de Valera's power as it supported Cumann na nGaedhael and provided stewards for their meetings. Cumann na nGaedhael meetings were frequently disrupted by Fianna Fáil supports following the publication of the article : No Free Speech for Traitors by Peadar O'Donnell, an IRA member. Peadar O'Donnell (Peadar Ó Domhnaill 22 February 1893 – 13 May 1986 was an Irish Republican socialist, Marxist activist and writer

The ACA changed its name to the "National Guard" under O'Duffy. They adopted the uniform of black berets and blue shirts, used the straight armed salute and were nicknamed 'The Blueshirts'. The Army Comrades Association (ACA later named National Guard and better known by their nickname The Blueshirts (Na Léinte Gorma were an They were outwardly fascist; however, they did not engage in extreme violence and supported democracy. They planned a march in 1933 through Dublin to commemorate Michael Collins, Kevin O'Higgins and Arthur Griffith. This march struck parallels with Mussolini's March on Rome (1922), in which he had created the image of having toppled the democratic government in Rome by staging a march. O'Duffy backed down when de Valera issued the threat that all members of the National Guard would be arrested by the specially employed troops, Broy's Harriers, named after Garda Commissioner Eamon Broy. Colonel Eamon Broy (or Edward Broy, often called Ned Broy) (1887-1972 was successively a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA the Irish Army Smaller local marches were scheduled for the following week. De Valera then banned the ACA permanently in 1933.

De Valera's new constitution – Bunreacht na hÉireann

Éamon de Valera entering Leinster House, home of the Free State parliament

During the 1930s, de Valera had systematically stripped down the Irish Free State constitution that had been drafted by a committee under the nominal chairmanship of his great rival, Michael Collins. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Constitution of the Irish Free State was the founding legal document of the 1922-1937 Irish Free State. In reality, de Valera had only been able to do this due to three reasons. First, though the 1922 constitution originally required public plebiscite for any amendment beyond eight years after its passage, the Free State government under W. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita T. Cosgrave had amended that period to sixteen years. This meant that, until 1938, the Free State constitution could be amended by the simple passage of a Constitutional Amendment Act through the Oireachtas. Secondly, while in theory the Governor-General of the Irish Free State could reserve or deny the Royal Assent to any legislation, in practice the power to advise the Governor-General so to do as and from 1927 no longer rested with the British Government in London but with His Majesty's Government in the Irish Free State, which meant that in practice, the Royal Assent was automatically granted to legislation; the government was hardly likely to advise the Governor-General to block the enactment of one of its own bills. The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of Lawmaking by formally assenting to an Thirdly, in theory the Constitution had to be in keeping with the provisions of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the fundamental law of the state. The Anglo-Irish Treaty (An Conradh Angla-Éireannach officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a Treaty However, that requirement had been removed only a short time before de Valera gained power. Thus, with all the checks and balances that had been provided to preserve the Treaty settlement neutralised, de Valera had a free hand to change the 1922 constitution at will.

This he did emphatically. The Oath of Allegiance was abolished, as were appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom, established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 The opposition-controlled Senate, when it protested and slowed down these measures, was also abolished. Seanad Éireann (Senate of Ireland was the Upper house of the Oireachtas (parliament of the Irish Free State from 1922–1936 And finally in December 1936, de Valera used the sudden abdication of King Edward VIII as king of his various realms including King of Ireland to pass two Bills; one amended the constitution to remove all mention of the King and Governor-General, while the second brought the King back, this time through statute law, for use in representing the Irish Free State at diplomatic level.

In 1931, the British parliament had passed the Statute of Westminster, which established the legislative equal status of the self-governing dominions of the British Empire, including the Irish Free State, and the United Kingdom. The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (22 & 23 Geo Though many constitutional links between the Dominions and the United Kingdom remained, this is often seen as the moment at which the Dominions became fully sovereign states. In July 1936, de Valera as constitutionally the King's Irish Prime Minister, wrote to King Edward in London indicating that he planned to introduce a new constitution, the central part of which was to be the creation of an office de Valera provisionally intended to call President of Saorstát Éireann, which would replace the governor-generalship. The title ultimately changed from President of Saorstát Éireann (Uachtarán Shaorstát Éireann) to President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann), but it still remained the central feature of his new constitution, to which he gave the new Irish language name Bunreacht na hÉireann (meaning literally the Constitution of Ireland). Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish.

The text of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland is available^[14] as amended to 2004.

The constitution contained a number of reforms and symbols intended to assert Irish sovereignty. These included:

• a new name for the state, "Éire" (in Irish) and "Ireland" (in English);
• a claim that the national territory was the entire island of Ireland thereby challenging Britain's partition settlement of 1921;
• a new popularly elected 'President of Ireland' to replace the British King and Crown and the appointed Irish Governor-General;
• recognition of the "special position" of Roman Catholicism, which had for most of Britain's rule in Ireland been suppressed and discriminated against;
• a recognition of the Roman Catholic concept of marriage which excluded civil divorce;
• the declaration that the Irish language was the first official language of the nation although English was also included as an official language;
• the use of Irish language terms to stress Irish cultural and historical identity (e. Éire (ˈeːrʲə) is the Irish name for the island of Ireland and of the state of the same name. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The Partition of Ireland took place on 3 May 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Head of state of Ireland. g. , Uachtarán, Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Rialtas, Dáil, Seanad, etc. ); and
• the provision that Dáil and Presidential elections would be by means of Proportional Representation-Single Transferrable Vote. Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes Single transferable vote (STV is a preferential Voting system designed to minimize Wasted votes and provide Proportional representation

Ciriticisms of some of the above constitutional reforms include that:

• despite anti-partition language in the Constitution, partition remained a legal reality, accepted by Article 3;
• until 1949, the popularly elected president was not popularly elected, but effectively chosen by the political parties for a variety of reasons. Douglas Hyde (Dubhghlas de hÍde Pseudonym An Craoibhín Aoibhinn) (17 January 1860 &ndash 12 July 1949 was an Anglo-Irish scholar of the Irish language In addition, his legal status was somewhat uncertain. During the period of 1936 to 1949 it was unclear whether or not the Irish state was a Republic or a form of Constitutional monarchy and (from 1937 whether its
• the "special position" of the Roman Catholic Church had little practical significance. In some areas (De Valera's refusal to make Catholicism the established church, his refusal to side with Franco in the Spanish Civil War, the constitutional recognition given to the existence of the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterians, the Methodists and in particular the Irish Jewish community), de Valera's constitution was actually quite radical and distinctly non-Catholic for its day. Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of The Church of Ireland (Eaglais na hÉireann is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ For that reason, Pope Pius XI refused to support its adoption, an endorsement constitutions in predominantly Catholic countries routinely sought and often got;
• the features of the "Catholic" family focused on in the constitution (family based on marriage, with no divorce and the belief that the family was central to society) also accurately mirrored most of the beliefs (divorce excepted) of the mainstream Protestant faiths on the island, namely the Church of Ireland and the Presbyterian Church (although many conservative Protestants also opposed divorce); and
• the superior position afforded to the Irish language under the constitution did not lead to its revival and the language remained in decline. Pope Pius XI ( Latin: Pius PP XI; Italian: Pio XI; May 31 1857 &ndash February 10 1939) born The Church of Ireland (Eaglais na hÉireann is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland.

Ireland was declared a Republic on 18 April 1949 by Taoiseach, John A. Costello. The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 is an Act of the Oireachtas whose primary provisions were to declare that the state Ireland, is a Republic and that the President The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the For other persons named John Costello see John Costello John Aloysius Costello (Seán A The state adopted an official description, the Republic of Ireland while keeping its name, Ireland. ^[15] In doing so Ireland left the Commonwealth. The last constitutional links to the United Kingdom had finally been cut, ironically not by the revolutionary de Valera.

Neutrality in World War II

Main articles: Irish neutrality during World War II and The Emergency (Ireland)

By September 1939, a general European war was inevitable. See also Irish neutrality The policy of Irish neutrality during World War II was adopted by Dáil Éireann (the Parliament of Ireland The Emergency (Ré na Práinne was an official Euphemism used by the Irish Government during the 1940s to refer to its position during World War II. On 2 September, de Valera advised Dáil Éireann that neutrality was the best policy for the country. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament In this he was almost uniformly supported by the Dáil and the country at large (including the pro-British elements). This gave sweeping new powers to the government for the duration of the Emergency, such as internment, censorship of the press and correspondence, and the government control of the economy. The Emergency Powers Act finally lapsed on 2 September 1946. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[16][17]

This status remained throughout the war, despite pressure from Chamberlain and Churchill. However, de Valera did accept a request from Northern Ireland for fire tenders to assist in fighting fires following the Belfast Blitz. The Belfast Blitz was an event that occurred on the night of Easter Tuesday 15 April 1941. Nevertheless, Churchill and he exchanged bitter words when the war was over. The Emergency (Ré na Práinne was an official Euphemism used by the Irish Government during the 1940s to refer to its position during World War II.

In 1945 de Valera was the only head of state to send condolences to the German people on the death of Adolf Hitler. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately

Post–war period

Having spent sixteen years in power, Fianna Fáil was replaced in 1948 by the first First Inter-Party Government with compromise candidate John A. Costello as Taoiseach. Origins Fianna Fáil had ruled uninterrupted since 1932 with Éamon de Valera as Prime minister (titled as President of the Executive Council of the Irish For other persons named John Costello see John Costello John Aloysius Costello (Seán A The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the De Valera, as leader of the opposition, embarked on a world campaign to raise the issue of partition. He visited the United States, Australia, New Zealand and India, and in the latter country, was the last guest of the Viceroy Lord Mountbatten before the handover of Indian independence. Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, ^[18] In Melbourne, Australia, he was feted by the powerful Catholic Archbishop Daniel Mannix, at the centenary celebrations of the diocese of Melbourne. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 For other people called Daniel Mannix see Daniel Mannix (disambiguation Daniel Patrick Mannix ( March 4 1864 - November 2 He attended mass-meetings at Xavier College, and addressed the assembled Melbourne Celtic Club. Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and Boarding school predominantly for boys with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb The Melbourne Celtic Club is a social organisation for Melburnians of Celtic ( Scots, Welsh, but primarily Irish) ancestry or ^[19] Returning to Ireland, during the Mother and Child Scheme crisis that racked the First Inter Party Government, de Valera kept a dignified silence as Leader of the Opposition, preferring to stay aloof from the controversy. The Mother and Child Scheme was a healthcare programme in the Republic of Ireland that would later become remembered as a major political crisis involving primarily In 1951 de Valera was returned to power but without an overall majority. It was during this period that de Valera's eyesight began to deteriorate and he was forced to spend several months in the Netherlands where he had six operations.

Fianna Fáil was defeated again in the 1954 general election. The Irish general election of 1954 was held on 14 May 1954 The newly elected Members of the 15th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 2 June when the new Taoiseach However, like the first coalition government, the second lasted only three years. At the general election of 1957 de Valera, then in his seventy-fifth year, won an absolute majority of nine seats, the greatest number he had ever secured. This was the beginning of another sixteen year period in office for Fianna Fáil. A new economic policy emerged with the First Programme for Economic Expansion. In July 1957, in response to the Border Campaign (IRA), he ordered the internment without trial of Republican suspects, an action which did much to end the IRA's campaign. The Border Campaign ( December 12 1956 – February 26 1962) was a campaign of Guerrilla warfare ( codenamed Operation Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people commonly in large groups without trial

De Valera remained as Taoiseach until 1959, handing over power to Seán Lemass. Seán Francis Lemass (15 July 1899 &ndash 11 May 1971 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and third Taoiseach of Ireland from 1959 until 1966 In the same year, he was elected President of Ireland, as which he served until 1973. The President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Head of state of Ireland. At his retirement at the age of 90, he was the oldest Head of State in the world.

In 1969, seventy three countries sent goodwill messages to NASA for the historic first lunar landing. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program These messages still rest on the lunar surface and de Valera's message on behalf of Ireland stated, "May God grant that the skill and courage which have enabled man to alight upon the Moon will enable him, also, to secure peace and happiness upon the Earth and avoid the danger of self-destruction. "^[20]

Since the foundation of the state, a de Valera has nearly always served in Dáil Éireann. ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Éamon de Valera served until 1959, his son, Vivion de Valera, was also a Teachta Dála (TD). Vivion de Valera (13 December 1910 – 16 February 1982 was an Irish scientist businessman Lawyer, and politician A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. ^[21] Éamon Ó Cuív, his grandson, is currently a member of the Dáil and his granddaughter, Síle de Valera is a former TD. Éamon Ó Cuív (born 23 June 1950 is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and is currently the Minister for Community Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs. Síle de Valera (ˈʃiːlʲə ˌdɛvəˈlɛɹə (born 17 December 1954 is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician Both have served in ministries in the Irish Government. The Government of Ireland (Rialtas na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.

Éamon de Valera's grave. His wife, Sinéad, and son, Brian (who was killed in a horse-riding accident in 1936) are buried there also. (Close up view of the gravestone)

Éamon de Valera died in Linden Convalescent Home, Blackrock, County Dublin on 29 August 1975 aged 92. Blackrock (An Charraig Dhubh is a suburban town and district located south of the city of Dublin, in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland, northwest County Dublin (Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath or more correctly today the Dublin Region ( Réigiúin Átha Cliath) is the area that contains the city of Dublin Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. His wife, Sinéad de Valera, four years his senior, had died the previous January, on the eve of their 65th wedding anniversary. Sinéad de Valera, also known as Sinéad Ní Fhlannagáin and Sinéad Bean de Valera (ɕɪnʲedʲ bʲen̪ˠ dʲɛ vʲalʲɛrˠa He is buried in Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery. Glasnevin Cemetery ( also known as Prospect Cemetery, is the main Catholic Cemetery in Dublin, the capital of Ireland.

Overview

Ireland's dominant political personality for many decades, de Valera received numerous honours. He was elected Chancellor of the National University of Ireland in 1921, holding the post until his death. The National University of Ireland ( NUI) (Ollscoil na hÉireann is a federal University system of constituent universities, previously called Pope John XXIII bestowed on him the Order of Christ. Pope John (numberingBlessed The Order of Christ is the supreme Order of Chivalry awarded by the Pope. He received honorary degrees from universities in Ireland and abroad and in 1968 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), a recognition of his lifelong interest in mathematics. An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa ( Latin: 'for the sake of the honour' is an Academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 He also served as a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland (for Down from 1921 to 1929 and for South Down from 1933 to 1937), though he held to the Republican policy of abstentionism and did not take his seat in Stormont. The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule Legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, Down was a county Constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 - 1929 Abstentionism is standing for Election to a Deliberative assembly while refusing to take up any seats won or otherwise participate in the assembly's business He retired from the Presidency in June 1973, having served for fourteen years, the longest period allowed under the Constitution.

De Valera was criticised for ending up as co-owner of one of Ireland's most influential group of newspapers, Irish Press Newspapers, funded by numerous small investors who received no dividend for decades. The Irish Press was an Irish Newspaper published by Irish Press plc between September 5 1931, on the eve of the 1931 Kilkenny v Cork ^[22] De Valera is alleged by critics to have kept Ireland under the influence of Catholic conservatism,^[23] though that is explained by the large role Catholicism has played in Irish history. His constitution did explicitly recognise the existence and rights of the Jewish community in Ireland in 1937 at a time when there was beginning in Germany a process of extermination of Jews. According to Andy Pollak of the Irish Times, a handful" of Jews entered Éire during "The Emergency" though he rejected Jewish quotas for immigration to Ireland and always stood for Jewish rights.

De Valera rejected fundamentalist Catholic demands by organisations like Maria Duce that Roman Catholicism be made the state religion of Ireland, just as he rejected demands by the Irish Christian Front that the Irish Free State support Franco during the Spanish Civil War. Maria Duce ("With Mary as our Leader" was a small ultra-conservative Catholic group in Ireland founded in 1942 by Fr Denis Fahey C The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of

De Valera’s preoccupation with his part in history, and his need to explain and justify it, are reflected in innumerable ways. His faith in historians as trustworthy guardians of his reputation was not absolute. He made many attempts to influence their views and to adjust and refine the historical record whenever he felt this portrayed him, his allies or his cause inaccurately or unfavourably to his mind, these could often mean the same thing. He extended these endeavours to encompass the larger Irish public. An important function of his newspaper group, the Irish Press group, was to rectify what he saw as the errors and omissions of a decade in which he had been the subject of largely hostile commentary. ^[24]

In recent decades his role in Irish history has no longer been unequivocally seen by historians as a positive one, and a controversial biography by Tim Pat Coogan alleges that his failures outweigh his achievements, with de Valera's reputation declining as that of his great rival in the 1920s, Michael Collins, is rising. Timothy Patrick Coogan (born 1935 is an Irish Historian, broadcaster and newspaper columnist Michael John ("Mick" Collins (Mícheál Seán Ó Coileáin 16 October 1890 &ndash 22 August 1922 was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for This view may be changing: the most recent work on De Valera by historian Diarmaid Ferriter presents a more positive picture of de Valera's legacy. Diarmaid Ferriter (born Dublin) is an Irish Author, Historian, and university lecturer. ^[25] Bertie Ahern described in a book launch, ^[26][27] the achievements of de Valera's political leadership during the formative years of the state:

One of de Valera’s finest hours was his regrouping of the Republican side after defeat in the civil war, and setting his followers on an exclusively peaceful and democratic path, along which he later had to confront both domestic Fascism and the IRA. Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern ( Irish: Pádraig Parthalán Ó hEachthairn, born 12 September 1951 is an Irish politician who served He became a democratic statesman, not a dictator. He did not purge the civil service of those who had served his predecessors, but made best use of the talent available.

A notable failure was his attempt to reverse the provision of the 1937 Constitution in relation to the electoral system. On retiring as Taoiseach in 1959, he proposed that the Proportional Representation system enshrined in that constitution should be replaced. Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes De Valera argued that Proportional Representation had been responsible for the instability that had characterised much of the post war period. A constitutional referendum to ratify this was defeated by the people.
Garret Fitzgerald summarised^[28] his last term as Taoiseach;

Total economic stagnation marked de Valera's last seven years as leader of his party - because all of the chickens of his disastrous commitment to an inward-looking policy of self sufficiency were coming home to roost. Garret FitzGerald (Gearóid Mac Gearailt born 9 February 1926 was the seventh Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office (July 1981 to February 1982 December

Governments

The following governments were led by de Valera:

• 6th Executive Council of the Irish Free State
• 7th Executive Council of the Irish Free State
• 8th Executive Council of the Irish Free State
• 1st Government of Ireland
• 2nd Government of Ireland
• 3rd Government of Ireland
• 4th Government of Ireland
• 6th Government of Ireland
• 8th Government of Ireland

See also

• List of people on stamps of Ireland

References

External links

• 1911 Census return of Edward (sic) de Valera and household from the National Archives of Ireland
• Murray, Patrick (2001). "Obsessive historian: Éamon de Valera and the policing of his reputation". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 101 (C): pp. 37–65. Royal Irish Academy. The Royal Irish Academy ( RIA) (Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann is an all-Ireland, independent academic body that promotes study and excellence in the Sciences  

Political career