Eamon De Valera: A Will to Power

by Ronan Fanning

Éamon de Valera is the most remarkable man in the history of modern Ireland. Much as Churchill personified British resistance to Hitler and de Gaulle personified the freedom of France, de Valera personified Irish independence.

From his emergence in the aftermath of the 1916 rebellion as the republican leader, he bestrode Irish politics like a colossus for more than fifty years.

On the eve of the centenary of the Irish Revolution, one of Ireland's most eminent historians explains why Éamon de Valera was such a divisive figure that he has never - until now - received the recognition he deserves.

This biography reconciles an acknowledgement of de Valera's catastrophic failure in 1921-22, when his petulant rejection of the Anglo-Irish Treaty shaped the dimensions of a bloody civil war, with an appreciation of his subsequent greatness as the statesman who single-handedly severed the ties with Britain and defined nationalist Ireland's sense of itself.

Genres: History, Biography, Irish Literature, Nonfiction, Ireland, Politics

308 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2015

About the author

Born John Ronan Fanning, Fanning grew up in Sandymount, Dublin.

In 1963, Fanning recieved a degree in History, having initally studied English in University College Dublin (UCD). He recieved his doctorate from Peterhouse College, Cambridge.

He was a member of the academic staff of Georgetown University, a tutor at the Exeter University , and a lecturer of UCD.

Most noticeably, he was involved in the Northern Irish Peace process, defending Irish politician John Hume for negotiating with Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams and was involved in persuading US involvement in the process.

He was also a member of the Royal Irish Academy, and was the Professor Emeritus of Modern History at University College Dublin. He was also of the chief editor of the Dictionary of Irish Biography.

Fanning's partner of 44 years, Virginia Caffrey, predeceased him in 2014, with whom he had three children.

Reviews

[Mike Wasson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going into this book, de Valera was an absolute enigma to me. So much of Ireland's history over the last hundred years is due to his decisions, but I found his decisions made by a process I couldn't fathom. This book has somewhat demystified DeV. Fanning is a clear writer who shows an enduring curiosity for the reasoning and circumstances behind De Valera's major choices.

Some words of caution: Fanning is writing for an Irish audience and assumes more than a basic understanding of early 20th Century Irish history; of course that includes the critical years 1916-1923, but he also expects you to already have context of the constitutional changes that occurred in the 1930s. I wish I had gone into this having read a more general history of the period. He also sometimes abruptly switches between two topics, which can leave the reader with a bit of whiplash wondering how they connect.

Given all that, do I think I understand DeV now? A little bit better, but no, not really--and that's not Fanning's fault. The decisions he made around the Treaty will probably always be incomprehensible to me, given how personal his choices were. He essentially, if not entirely intentionally, started a civil war over his vanity. Fanning did what he could to explain this and contextualize it, but it's still hard to fathom. More generally, there's only so much you can say about a man who was critical to his nation for over half a century when you have less than 300 pages. This book is a great start, but it's a topic that deserves much more detail.

[Janebbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last...a definitive biography of the Irish statesman.

In writing a centenary celebration of the Easter Rising of 1916 for a recent column, I celebrated two Irish nationalist leaders not shot to death by the British in the backyard of Kilmainham Gaol... one was Eamon de Valera. Here are some snippets from my column about the Irish statesman...

Eamon de Valera (1882-1975) was born in New York City. His father, who was Spanish, died when he was age two, and he was sent to live with his mother’s family in County Limerick, Ireland. He became a school teacher of mathematics and an ardent supporter of the Irish-language revival. In 1913 he joined The Irish Volunteers, which had been organized to advocate Home Rule for Ireland. During the Rising, he commanded forces who occupied Boland’s Mill on Grand Canal Street in Dublin and covered the southeastern approach to the city. He was court-martialed, convicted, and sentenced to death. The British commuted his death sentence at the urge of the American Consulate. He spent over a year in Irish and British prisons. He served as early President of the Irish Free State formed in 1922 and was thrice appointed as Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland. From 1959 to 1973, he was President of the Republic of Ireland.

James B. Crooks, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Florida, who taught at University College Dublin in 1964-66, remembers an aged President de Valera. He relates that a younger de Valera was “an astute politician, strong nationalist, devout Catholic” and that his “story is long and complicated (like 20th century Irish history)…we probably have not seen the definitive story of his life and may not for a while."

Ronan Fanning in his recent biography, “Eamon de Valera: A Will to Power,” states that although the Irish statesman's “vision for Ireland was blinkered…without him Ireland might never have achieved independence.”

I have just received the Fanning biography (the Harvard University Press edition). It contains seventeen (17) pages of notes, over four (4) pages of bibliography, and a fifteen (15) page index. Unlike reading fiction, I turned to the last pages of the book...and read the Conclusion. I am impressed with the research, the stirring conclusion, and the accessible language of a few read pages.

“Éamon de Valera: A Will to Power” is a definitive work and a welcome addition to my library.

Note: Ronan Fanning is Professor Emeritus of Modern History at University College Dublin.

[The American Conservative]

Political leadership highlights paradoxes statesmen face. Éamon de Valera, who shaped 20th-century Ireland, embodied paradoxes himself. An Irish nationalist born in the United States with a Spanish father and a consequently distinctive name, de Valera came to personify his country’s identity and self-image. Like his contemporaries Mustafa Kemal and Ibn Saud, he built a distinctive state after breaking with an empire. But de Valera also fits within a notable conservative tradition: he shared Antonio Salazar and Maurice Duplessis’s commitment to integralist Catholicism. Calvin Coolidge’s flinty reserve, frugal upbringing, and Arcadian vision of the national past offer another parallel. As “the heir to generations of conservatism,” de Valera told a colleague in 1922 that he “was meant to be a dyed-in-the-wool tory or even a bishop, rather than leader of a revolution.” So how did he become a revolutionary?

http://www.theamericanconservative.co...

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine and judicious biography of a complex and controversial figure. The combination of genuine personal austerity, acumen, focus with an ability to have his own way and autocracy were fundamental to the creation of the Irish republic and the peaceful separation from the UK. Ronan Fanning analyses De Valera's strengths and shortcomings and does not gloss over his part in causing the Irish Civil War following the negotiations when Michael Collins brought back a compromise which Dev rejected as not being his compromise. This scarred Irish life and politics and indeed is at the root of the structure of politics in the republic to this day. It is essential reading both as a biography and as an account of the foundation of Ireland.

[Brian Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good historical account fit into less than 300 pages. De Valera was an incredibly interesting character, from his familial background and the uncertainty that surrounded it, along with then his upbringing and subsequent scholarships that allowed him to get to Dublin, and be around the types of people that would shape his future.

Well known for his involvement in the 1916 rising and subsequent conflicts, he then went on to be a core figure in Irish politics until 1973, after serving 2 terms as president, concluding when he was aged 91.

A flawed man who made many mistakes in his academic, military and political endeavours, he nonetheless had an innate drive for what he believed and this was seen throughout his lifetime as he viewed himself consistently as on a mission towards his vision of the Irish sovereign idyll he dreamed of.

[Steven Voorhees · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very Irish biography (meaning Fanning uses many Irish terms mostly related to politics) yet a thorough one. De Valera: The man, the political general (as opposed to a military one) and Ireland’s most consequential public figure come alive here. Solitary yet “tough as teak,” De Valera practically single handedly molded modern Ireland, from the patriotic pandemic that dominated its early 20th Century, to stormy ties with the British to fostering Irish political maturity. When he met Charles De Gaulle, De Valera remarked the French leader “was France to me. I believed that, without him, France would have been pushed aside and regarded as a second-rate nation in Europe.” The same can be said about Eamon De Valera and his efforts to place and keep Ireland on the world stage.

[Paul Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent biography of one of the most divisive characters in modern Irish politics. Highly readable not just because of the subject matter, but in the short, sharp narrative and key judgement points highlighted by the author. No surprises in terms of De Valera's role in the Easter rising and treaty split, but the discussion of his early years eduction and shaping, together with his significant achievements to create "De Valera's Ireland" are worth exploring. Anyone looking for insight into his relationship with Michael Collins will be disappointed though - only passing references in this regard. Excellent read

[Keith Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written biography of a flawed political Titan. A quote from Yeats' poem "Easter 1916" is "....too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart...". In Dev's case it wasn't his heart that calcified, but his mind. His obdurate belief in his own convictions and his rigidity of mind tipped the Free State into a civil war that killed three times as many Irishmen as the struggle for independence that preceded it, and poisoned Irish politics for fifty years. And the pastoral idyll that he aspired to would have ended in revolution, had it not been for the safety-valve of immigration. He was President for most of my childhood in Dublin - a towering figure in the history of the country.

[Patrick Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A readable, if not terribly polished or insightful, biography of the most famous Irish politician of the twentieth century. Fanning is clearly striving to be objective, but the de Valera who emerges from his account is petty, pedantic, priggish, self-aggrandizing, and sometimes more than a little delusional. That's not Fanning's fault, it must be said, although doesn't always make the most pleasant of reading.

[Graeme Whitton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this interesting rather than compelling but it filled in a lot of detail about a character who I've always been aware of but didn't know a lot about. I had hoped it might fill in a lot of background about Ireland after the Civil War and up to De Valera's departure from front line politics bit it didn't really. Hard going in places.

[Colin Ahearn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t bother

I found this book just another assault on DeValera. The sarcasm and snidest remarks left me with a bitter taste regarding this book.

The only part worth reading is the conclusion.

Can somebody please tell me the name of a book that is written from DeValera’s side. He was a remarkable leader in a very remarkable time for Ireland’s struggles. Only to see the Irish give away their sovereignty to Europe.

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, incredibly well-researched, and a fairly accessible read (coming from somebody who knows very little about modern Irish history and politics)

[Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had only bought this book yesterday and finished it this morning. This is due largely to its writing style. Author Roman Fanning's book has a fantastic flow in its text. It is an easy and fascinating read.
Three issues with it spring to mind however.
The author gives no insight into any relations Dev had. By this I don't just mean romantic, but those of friendship or even just acquaintance. I suppose this is down to the fact that the book only deals with the facts. Dev did this Dev did that. The only speculation, or greater inspection, about Dev given is that of the reasoning for his political policy. A clear example of this is when the book talks about Mrs De Valera. With the exception of the fact that Dev married his wife shortly after meeting her and a love letter he wrote her, after 1916 we never really learn much about them as a couple.
We also don't learn much about his relationship with his political partners and rivals. Many important political figures of the time just disappear without explanation, but I suppose this is due to the novels focus on Dev. The novel is however an excellent account of who Dev was and the important acts he did(without speculation).
The second issue is that the novel is quite detached from the negative effects many of his policies had, such as the civil war. The novel, admittedly, acknowledges that the war was in at least in some capacity(whether minor or major) De Valera's fault. What it fails to establish is the hardship death and destruction of this. The novel also ignores any atrocities committed by British forces in Ireland. This is most evident when the author makes a passing mention of Bloody Sunday and only focuses on the deaths of the men who Collins decided were spies (I am not saying we should ignore this part, but it should have equal importance). There's no mention of Croke Park at all. Now I am not asking for a history lesson on every event of the times, but I would like to rad about De Valera's reactions to certain events. What the novel portrays is that either the author is uninterested in the plight of the common people of the time or Dev was(which could very well be the case). The other issue which is quite minor, is the last chapter. It is a conclusion but acts as a summary of the rest of the novel. It is superfluous and stretches out the novel more then was necessary and offers no new insight that hadn't already been established from the rest of the novel. If it had been shorter it would have been appropriate but it just dragged on a bit too long.
The novel is an unapologetic look at the political decisions Dev had made over the course of his long career, as well as the reasoning behind them. We learn little about his relationship with others, but I suppose it could be hard to establish. Political figures come and go, without an introduction or farewell.
For those looking for a comprehensive look of Dev the man, may need to look elsewhere.
In any case the novel is spectacularly written and I honestly found it very difficult to put down(unfortunately I was forced to sleep, the woes of life). I learnt loads about the man I didn't know before, and I think it is ideal for anyone with a passing interest in Irish History, but dont want to read something that is too intense.

[The American Conservative]

"Political leadership highlights paradoxes statesmen face. Éamon de Valera, who shaped 20th-century Ireland, embodied paradoxes himself. An Irish nationalist born in the United States with a Spanish father and a consequently distinctive name, de Valera came to personify his country’s identity and self-image. Like his contemporaries Mustafa Kemal and Ibn Saud, he built a distinctive state after breaking with an empire. But de Valera also fits within a notable conservative tradition: he shared Antonio Salazar and Maurice Duplessis’s commitment to integralist Catholicism. Calvin Coolidge’s flinty reserve, frugal upbringing, and Arcadian vision of the national past offer another parallel. As “the heir to generations of conservatism,” de Valera told a colleague in 1922 that he “was meant to be a dyed-in-the-wool tory or even a bishop, rather than leader of a revolution.” So how did he become a revolutionary?"

Read the full review, "The Making of Eamon de Valera," on our website:

http://www.theamericanconservative.co...

[Julian Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absorbing insight into 'The Long Fella', one of the most dominating figures of twentieth century Irish history. Austere (he neither smoked nor drank, and dined off a cup of black tea), autocratic, puritanically Catholic, emotionally closed off after his mother abandoned him at the age of three, he shaped the newly independent country in his image. He was obsessed with Irish self-sufficiency, ignoring its economic well-being (he had no interest in economics). Unrest was prevented by massive emigration; any Irish person with any get up and go in the middle of the twentieth century got up and went, creating vibrant emigre communities in London, New York and many other foreign cities.

An interesting counter-factual; what if his great rival, Michael Collins, 'The Big Fella', had not died in the Civil War, but had gone on to lead Ireland? Would it have been a more joyful place?

[Mark K.Astley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brisk pace is kept throughout the book. Historical detail is kept concise to concentrate on the Long Fellah and what drove him. Basically it was his own self righteous belief and persistence on what was right for Ireland. Sovereignty was everything to Dev and ironically 2 years before he died Ireland gave part of it away to The EU!
This book sheds light on the good and bad of Dev, but could be frustrating if you are wanting to learn more about the history of Ireland between 1916 and 1975..

[Katherine Folmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fanning has some really interesting insights into Dev, though it would have been better if he hadn't relied on Coogan as a source. I really like his continued theme of how many transformations de Valera went through and Fanning gives a really eloquent defense of Irish Neutrality that is worth reading. Overall a good book for someone looking for an intro into Dev, really easy to read.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed this new biography of the long fellow from his birth in america to joining the 1916 easter rising to being the head of state of the irish republic (free state). learnt new things about his struggle with the IRA and also his own part in creating the civil war by opposing the treaty

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Well balanced and easy to read.
Blames De Valera personally for the "catastrophe" of the botched Treaty negotiations and the consequent Civil War. Very positive about his role after coming to power in 1932.

[Michael F Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at a complicated man, rebel, soldier, politician and leader. I wish it included more on the relationship with Collins.