Eamon  DeValera

Born: October 14, 1882 in New York City

Died: August 29, 1975 near Dublin

    Certainly there is no shortage of information on the web about the life and times of DeValera. Unlike many others he fought beside, he went on to political success in Ireland long after the goal of independence came to fruition. His mother was Irish and his father was Spanish, which explains how an Irishman could have a name like DeValera. Eamon joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and became a key leader in the Easter Rising. Though he was originally sentenced to death, he was not executed, ostensibly because he was born in America. He was released from prison in 1917 and became the chief of Sinn Féin and the Volunteers. He was thrown in prison again but escaped with the help of Collins and Harry Boland.

    DeValera asked Collins to negotiate the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in his place. Though DeValera was said to be a consummate politician, Collins went instead. Collins brought home this Treaty and DeValera opposed it. The Troubles followed and DeValera was imprisoned for a short time.

    He founded Fianna Fail and when it later controlled the Irish government, DeValera was elected Taoiseach. He was later made a leader in the doomed League of Nations and was elected president in 1959 and again in 1966.

    For more on Eamon DeValera, go to http://www.apostles.com/devalera.html.

    For more on the political party Fianna Fail, please visit the official site at http://www.fiannafail.ie/.