DE VALERA – “IRELAND’S HATED HERO” – OH REALLY? by Donal Kennedy
Amongst the many scurrilous BBC progammes,which may be accessed on YOUTUBE is one entitled”IRELAND’S HATED HERO.”
Its subject is the late Eamon de Valera (1882-1975).
Telly Savalas (Kojak) had a catchphrase -“Who Loves Ya Baby.”
In that spirit I did my own investigation into what proportion of those of his compatriots living in Dev’s long life-time really hated him.
Certainly not his beautiful and intelligent wife, whom he married in 1910, to the chagrin of her many admirers, and stuck with him until her own death in 1973, having borne him many children who remembered him with love and pride.
That was his private life. In public life he didn’t do too badly.
1917 July By-Election elected Member of Parliament for Clare.
1918 December General Election elected Teacta Dala (TD) for Clare
and was re=elected as TD for Clare in each succeeding General Election.
1921
1922 ”
1923
1927 (June) 1927 (Sept)
1932
1933
1937
1938
1943
1944
1948
1951
1954
1957
Thus Dev was elected for Clare 17 times and led Sinn Fein twice to victory and Fianna Fail nine times to victory over a 40 year period.
From 1921 to 1929 De Valera was (an Abstentionist ) MP for DOWN in the Eight-Seater “Parliament of Northern Ireland” elected the Proportional Representation system.
From 1933 to 1938 Dev was Abstentionist MP for SOUTH DOWN elected under the First Past the Post system
He retired from Dail Eireann and as head of the Government in 1959 on his election as President of Ireland for a Seven Year Term was re-elected in 1966 and served a Second Term which he completed in 1973.
56 years unbroken public service in Ireland.
In 1918 as well as winning in Clare, he wrested the East Mayo seat from Irish “Nationalist” LeaderJohn Dillon.
In 1932 De Valera was elected President of the Council ;of the League of Nations.In 1936 De Valera was elected President of the Assembly of the League of Nations.He failed in his attempt to have the League honour its Covenant which required all its members to defend each other from aggression when Japan attacked China inManchuria, and Italy attacked Abyssinia. He offered IRISH DEFENCE FORCE soldiers as part of a League defence of Abyssinia. Japan and Italy were permanent members of the Council of the League, as were France and Britain. France and Britain reneged on their Covenant promises. Britain made Mussolini pay for the Rape of AbyssiniaTHROUGH THE FEES CHARGED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT OWNED SUEZ CANAL COMPANY for the passage of his troops and materiel through the Canal.
From 1921 to 1938 De Valera was an elected, though abstentions member of the”Parliament of Northern Ireland” at Stormont.
Most of us would be happy to be hated as much as De Valera was!
PS In February 1933 in an Editorial the IRISH TIMES warned its readers of the disastersthat would result if Dev won a second term with Fianna Fail.
In March 1933 an IRISH TIMES Editorial rejoiced at the accession to power of Adolf Hitler,
It has never forgiven the Irish voters for continuing to vote for Dev rather than the paper’s own favourites.
Much of what has been written about De Valera’s character and politics is false or falsified. His achievements, which were great, have been deliberately ignored or downplayed by lesser mortals. He was unfazed by the temptations and threats of Lloyd George and Churchill, and neither the “Roar of the Greasepaint nor the Smell of the Crowd ” turned his head.
The Illustrated London News has photographs of Dev’s fans welcoming him at Euston Station in 1938 which could be stills from A HARD DAY’S NIGHT (made in 1964) and his fans in America filled sports grounds and Madison Square Gardens more than twenty years before John Lennon was born. !n 1948 he got a hero’s welcome in the world’s most populous
democracy – the newly liberated India.
I’ll return to the subject of Dev in other BLOGS and CONFOUND THE BEGRUDGERS.
Comments are closed.