Steven Chu
American physicist, former United States Secretary of Energy, Nobel laureate
Eamon de Valera
Irish politician (1882-1975)
Eamon de Valerawas an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of government and head of state and had a leading role in introducing the 1937 Constitution of Ireland.
Table of Contents
Occupation
About the Eamon de Valera
Eamon de Valerawas an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of government and head of state and had a leading role in introducing the 1937 Constitution of Ireland.
De Valera was a commandant of Irish Volunteers at Boland’s Mill during the 1916 Easter Rising. He was arrested and sentenced to death, but released for a variety of reasons, including his American citizenship and the public response to the British execution of Rising leaders. He returned to Ireland after being jailed in England and became one of the leading political figures of the War of Independence. After the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, de Valera served as the political leader of Anti-Treaty Sinn Fein until 1926, when he, along with many supporters, left the party to set up Fianna Fail, a new political party which abandoned the policy of abstentionism from Dail Eireann.
From there, 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 and later became Taoiseach, with the adoption of the Constitution of Ireland in 1937. He served as Taoiseach on three different occasions: from 1937 to 1948, from 1951 to 1954, and finally from 1957 to 1959. He remains the longest serving Taoiseach by total days served in the post. He resigned in 1959 upon his election as president of Ireland. By then, he had been Leader of Fianna Fail 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 President of Ireland 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, and also devious demeanour. 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.
19 Quotes by Eamon de Valera
- 1.
Mr. Churchill is proud of Britain’s stand alone, after France had fallen and before America entered the War.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 2.
We cannot afford idleness, waste or inefficiency.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 3.
We, of our time, have played our part in the perseverance, and we have pledged ourselves to the dead generations who have preserved intact for us this glorious heritage, that we, too, will strive to be faithful to the end, and pass on this tradition unblemished.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 4.
God has been pleased to save us during the years of war that have already passed. We pray that He may be pleased to save us to the end. But we must do our part.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 5.
If there is to be any hope of prosperity for this country it is by reversing that policy which made us simply the kitchen garden for supplying the British with cheap food.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 6.
I shall strive not to be guilty of adding any fuel to the flames of hatred and passion which, if continued to be fed, promise to burn up whatever is left by the war of decent human feeling in Europe.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 7.
The part which American friendship played in helping us to win the freedom we enjoy in this part of Ireland has been gratefully recognized and acknowledged by our people.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 8.
Unemployment is due to the large import of goods from Britain and other countries. The Government haven’t used the powers which they have for the benefit of the country.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 9.
We are fully aware that, in a world at war, each set of belligerents is over ready to regard those who are not with them as against them; but the course we have followed is a just course.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 10.
We hope that the plain people – the labourers and small farmers – will take this opportunity of coming together and working out the National programme.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 11.
When we have done our best, we can, as a united people, take whatever may befall with calm courage and confidence that this old nation will survive and if death should come to many of us, death is not the end.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 12.
If war comes upon us, it will come as a thief in the night.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 13.
It is indeed hard for the strong to be just to the weak, but acting justly always has its rewards.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 14.
From the moment this war began, there was, for this state, only one policy possible, neutrality.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 15.
Here, in Cork district, you have in combination all the dangers which war can inflict.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 16.
The economic and social problems would tend to become, like the military situation, more and more difficult as time went on and we became more and more isolated.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 17.
Since this war began our sympathy has gone out to all the suffering people who have been dragged into it. Further hundreds of millions have become involved since I spoke at Limerick fortnight ago.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 18.
By keeping the annuities, we could build up a national industry every years as big as the Shannon Scheme.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)
- 19.
It is the duty of our men to enroll themselves in the national services. We need all our manpower for defence. For the military and… we need a quarter of a million men.
Eamon de ValeraIrish politician (1882-1975)