Key Personality – Eamonn deValera
Eamon deValera
Eamon deValera was born in American and came to Ireland when his father died. He joined the Gaelic League in 1908 and the Irish volunteers in 1913.
He was commander of the garrison at Boland’s Mills during the Easter Rising but escaped being executed because he was an American.
DeValera was elected MP for Clare in 1917 and shortly afterwards was elected President of Sinn Fein and the Irish Volunteers.
He spent a lot of the War of Independence in America.
When the Treaty was signed he opposed it. DeValera took the anti-Treaty side in the Civil War.
In 1926 he founded Fianna Fail and in 1932 DeValera became leader of the government. He remained in power for sixteen years.
In 1959 at the age of 77 he was elected President where he served for fourteen years. He died in 1975 aged 92.
DeValera was one of the most influential men in Irish politics during the twentieth century.
