Eamon De Valera: The Man Who Was Ireland
by Tim Pat Coogan
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For the nearly fifty years that he dominated Irish politics and life - from the country's independence in 1921 to the late 1960s - Eamon de Valera was Ireland. Though he headed a democratic government and espoused liberal economic views, his rule was most reminiscent of Franco's or Mussolini's for the cult of personality he nurtured, for the almost eugenic way he invoked his nation's ethnic heritage (though he himself was half-Spanish), for his overt collusion with the Catholic Church, and show more for his autocratic control of his country's cultural life. From his childhood (when he immigrated to Ireland - he was born in Manhattan), he was extraordinarily adept at mythologizing himself, and that ability combined with the length and strength of his reign garnered him the admiration of millions of people - Irish and American. In fact, Americans, specifically those of Irish descent, have always been among de Valera's staunchest proponents. In the days of Ireland's fight for freedom from British rule, when he was an outlaw in his own land, he made a triumphal tour of the United States, and throughout his long rule he would frequently tap a vast reservoir of American support. Yet after a half century in power (the longest reign of any twentieth-century leader), de Valera was probably as much reviled as he was revered. Many see him as the architect of Ireland's perennially perilous economy (the worst in Western Europe). He also helped create a church-state monolith that still overshadows the nation today. De Valera's personality and policies bequeathed to the Irish people their current struggles over women's rights, relations with Northern Ireland, and the high tide of emigration that continues to drain the country of many of its best and brightest citizens. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
While the book deserves credit for its length and writing style bias runs through the book and it suffers from alack of independent thought. The comparison between the fairness of Coogan's book on Collins and this one on Dev does not come close.
amon de Valera is the subject of this biography. From the 1916 Rising, the troubled Treaty negotiations and the Civil War, right through to his retirement after a longer period in power than any other twentieth century leader, de Valera has both defined and divided Ireland. He was directly responsible for the Irish Constitution, Fianna Fail (the largest Irish political party) and the Irish Press Group. He helped create a political church-state monolith with continuing implications for Northern Ireland, the social role of women, the Irish language and the whole concept of an Irish nation. Many of the challenges he confronted are still troubling the peace of Ireland and of Britain, and some of the problems are his legacy.
Oct 11, 2019Italian
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Author Information
24 Works 3,118 Members
Tim Pat Coogan is one of the best-known journalists and historians in Ireland. Author, broadcaster and former editor of the Irish Press, he has written several books
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Eamon De Valera: Long Fellow, Long Shadow
- People/Characters
- Eamon de Valera; Frank Aiken; Cathal Brugha; Neville Chamberlain; Winston Churchill; Daniel Cohalan (show all 21); Michael Collins, Irish rebel and politician; W. T. Cosgrave; James Craig; Sinead de Valera; John Devoy; George V, King of the United Kingdom; David Gray; Arthur Griffith; David Lloyd George; John Loader Maffey; Richard Mulcahy; Sean T. O'Ceallaigh; Kevin O'Higgins; Franklin Delano Roosevelt; Austin Stack
- Important places
- Dublin, Ireland
- Important events
- Anglo-Irish Treaty; Easter Rising (1916)
- Dedication
- For Barbara and Mabel
- First words
- Prologue -- Although he died in 1975, Eamon de Valera, generally known either as Dev or the Long Fellow, cast a long shadow that still falls over Irish life.
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 941.7082 — History & geography History of Europe British Isles Connaught
- LCC
- DA965 .D4 .C66 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Great Britain History of Great Britain Ireland Modern, 1603- 19th-20th centuries. Irish question
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 275
- Popularity
- 116,889
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.57)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 2
