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De Valera: Long Fellow, Long Shadow
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 20th-century leader, Eamon 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. This biography is by the author of "Michael Collins".
800 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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611 people want to read
About the author
Tim Pat Coogan
50 books243 followersTimothy Patrick Coogan is an Irish historical writer, broadcaster and newspaper columnist. He served as editor of the Irish Press newspaper from 1968 to 1987. Today, he is best known for his popular and sometimes controversial books on aspects of modern Irish history, including The IRA, Ireland Since the Rising, On the Blanket, and biographies of Michael Collins and Éamon de Valera.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 9, 2024
Tim Pat Coogan's "Eamon de Valera: The Man who was Ireland" will be difficult to read for someone who has done little reading recently on 20th century Irish history. Worse it is a nasty hatchet job on its subject matter.
The big thesis of Coogan is that that de Valera was a "cute hoor". An expression from Irish and, slang that Wikipedia defines as: " A shrewd scoundrel, especially in business or politics, who blames others for the problems that they cause." Coogan writes that de Valera " always acted for motives of narrow self-interest" (p. 249). He states at another point: "De Valera's force was his extraordinary ability for convincing black was white and vice versa." p. 254)
Coogan argues that de Valera was brilliant at mythologizing his past, most notably his supposed military success during the ill fated Easter rebellion of 1916. Coogan's major criticism however is de Valera's disloyalty to Collins.
According to Coogan's narrative de Valera sent Collins to London to negotiate the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921 that created the Irish Free State. De Valera, who had already talked to Lloyd George, was convinced that the British would not accept an Irish Republic and would insist that that the six counties of Northern Island remain in Great Britain. De Valera then joined the noisy chorus of those who denounced the treaty negotiated by Collins which created the Irish Free State whose citizens would be required to swear a Loyalty oath to the British Crown and which allowed to Northern Ireland to remain in the UK. The two most notable results of the opposition were: (a) the Irish Civil War( 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) and (bc) the assassination of Michael Collins (August 1922)
Once in office, de Valera failed to do anything good for Ireland. Coogan writes: "On the great issues which confronted him during his years in office, de Valera did little that was useful and much that was harmful. Emigration, partition, the economy: even if start by conceding that his freedom of manoeuvre in these areas was limited , his policies were framed not for substantive action but for the eye of the beholder. Rhetoric rather than reality were the hallmarks of the de Valera style." (p. 693)
Coogan acknowledges that while de Valera was in office the three Treaty Ports that the British Navy was allowed to keep in Ireland under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 were finally abandoned by Britain in 1938. Coogan also notes that Ireland was able to remain neutral during WW II. Coogan however gives scant credit to de Valera for these two acheivements.
Coogan puts the blame on de Valera for the sixty years of economic stagnation that followed the creation of the Irish Free State and the massive emigration from Ireland during the period. Coogan also believes that the Protestants of southern Ireland were treated unfairly under de Valera. De Valera is blamed as well for what Coogan perceives to have been the excessive control that the Roman Catholic Church held in Irish society. Coogan notes that de Valera fought with the two Irish winners of the Nobel Prize for literature, W.B. Yeats and G.B. Shaw. Finally, Coogan feels that the methods used by de Valera to acquire ownership of the "Irish Press" were unethical.
Having never truly studied Irish history I am not able to say whether Coogan is right all counts. His argument that de Valera stabbed Collins in the back is however credible. Similarly, Ireland's economic woes during the de Valera era are also well known. Coogan is certainly justified in some of his criticism but his book is nonetheless extremely mean-spirited.
The big thesis of Coogan is that that de Valera was a "cute hoor". An expression from Irish and, slang that Wikipedia defines as: " A shrewd scoundrel, especially in business or politics, who blames others for the problems that they cause." Coogan writes that de Valera " always acted for motives of narrow self-interest" (p. 249). He states at another point: "De Valera's force was his extraordinary ability for convincing black was white and vice versa." p. 254)
Coogan argues that de Valera was brilliant at mythologizing his past, most notably his supposed military success during the ill fated Easter rebellion of 1916. Coogan's major criticism however is de Valera's disloyalty to Collins.
According to Coogan's narrative de Valera sent Collins to London to negotiate the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921 that created the Irish Free State. De Valera, who had already talked to Lloyd George, was convinced that the British would not accept an Irish Republic and would insist that that the six counties of Northern Island remain in Great Britain. De Valera then joined the noisy chorus of those who denounced the treaty negotiated by Collins which created the Irish Free State whose citizens would be required to swear a Loyalty oath to the British Crown and which allowed to Northern Ireland to remain in the UK. The two most notable results of the opposition were: (a) the Irish Civil War( 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) and (bc) the assassination of Michael Collins (August 1922)
Once in office, de Valera failed to do anything good for Ireland. Coogan writes: "On the great issues which confronted him during his years in office, de Valera did little that was useful and much that was harmful. Emigration, partition, the economy: even if start by conceding that his freedom of manoeuvre in these areas was limited , his policies were framed not for substantive action but for the eye of the beholder. Rhetoric rather than reality were the hallmarks of the de Valera style." (p. 693)
Coogan acknowledges that while de Valera was in office the three Treaty Ports that the British Navy was allowed to keep in Ireland under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 were finally abandoned by Britain in 1938. Coogan also notes that Ireland was able to remain neutral during WW II. Coogan however gives scant credit to de Valera for these two acheivements.
Coogan puts the blame on de Valera for the sixty years of economic stagnation that followed the creation of the Irish Free State and the massive emigration from Ireland during the period. Coogan also believes that the Protestants of southern Ireland were treated unfairly under de Valera. De Valera is blamed as well for what Coogan perceives to have been the excessive control that the Roman Catholic Church held in Irish society. Coogan notes that de Valera fought with the two Irish winners of the Nobel Prize for literature, W.B. Yeats and G.B. Shaw. Finally, Coogan feels that the methods used by de Valera to acquire ownership of the "Irish Press" were unethical.
Having never truly studied Irish history I am not able to say whether Coogan is right all counts. His argument that de Valera stabbed Collins in the back is however credible. Similarly, Ireland's economic woes during the de Valera era are also well known. Coogan is certainly justified in some of his criticism but his book is nonetheless extremely mean-spirited.
January 7, 2016
There is something refreshing about reading a biography from a historical author that simply hates the subject. I say historical author because Tim Pat, for all his many virtues, is not a professional historian and some of his interventions wouldn't hold up in an academic setting. However, as a popular history of a fascinating and divisive figure this cannot be beat.
March 27, 2024
This book could have been 300 pages shorter if Coogan just wrote a biography and left out his opinions on the man in almost every paragraph. This was a struggle to get through
August 2, 2014
very critical of de valera as emotionless, possible falsifying/glossing over his history during 1916 rising and his trip to america during the irish-anglo war, and his amoral/ruthless and shape shifting policies/politics, his failure to participate personally with Collins and plenipotentaries in final treaty negotiations in england, his incitement of civil war during the failed anti treaty civil war of 1922-1923
coogan is quite negative on de valera much of this book. At parts this seems justified, at others, he seems to be bordering upon cheap shots. Not really having any historical perspective or knowledge of this era, it is difficult to say whether coogan is on target here or stretching. This is also not a book for someone looking for a basic entry into Irish history (which I was), as coogan assumes the reader has a large familiarity with many of the figures/names/events of the period.
Often i found myself struggling to remember who such and such a person was or what was the significance or stance of a particular group (sinn fein, for example) at any one time... furthermore, i felt somewhat exhausted by the mountain of information (confusing, overly detailed, not woven together well enough as a narrative, imho), not exactly a ringing endorsement for a book in my mind. all that said, i felt like a learned a ton about irish history and the players of the time. four stars for knowledge, three stars for reading enjoyability.
de valera and irish's neutrality during world war II was also a bit baffling to me. i was left unsure whether neutrality was the position because of a) fear of germany, b) thoughts that germany would win, c) dislike of great britain, d) de valera's political manueverings to remain in power, e) true desire for neutrality by irish people, or some combination of all these things
Helped create Irish constitution, fianna fail party, Irish press group
Birth in America, possibly falsifying of his parents marriage, subsequent retreat back to Ireland
Life at blackrock college in Dublin, early formative events in dublin such as home rule battles, parnell politician, land wars
years as teacher in mathematics, flirting with priesthood (perhaps being turned away)
interest in irish language and thus falling in love, marrying with his teacher
creation and influence of early pre Easter uprising groups such as Gaelic League, Irish Republican Brotherhood, Sinn Fein (political group)
home rule battles in early 1910's with british liberals and irish nationalists supporting, british conservatives and irish ulsters (orangemen) objecting
De valera creating a small Irish nationalistic volunteers armed force
Easter Rising 1916
Failed rising, executed leaders excepting de valera, countermanned order for call up, attempts Rio get German weapons
Release from English jail after one year, becoming prisoner leader and then winning by election in clare
Emerging as leader of constitutional movement,
Irish conscription in world war 1 leading to further strengtheNing of sinn Fein opposition to British
back in jail in 1918 after round up by brush filtering German plot
escape from prison and then first president of dail before leaving ireland to press irish case in u.s. directly to the people
Off to America during Irish English war, smuggled out by collins, not necessarily needing to be smuggled out
perhaps inappropriately being called president of irish republic in america, tours trying to rallying support in america, fights to avoid being too critical of league of nations wilson ideas
conflicts with irish americans (cohalan, devoy) in america over responsibilities, jockeying for power, funds for bond issuing
conflict with collins in ireland over when irish debt should be honored
unsuccessful attempts to get american republican and democratic parties to adopt pro irish planks during 1920 presidential elections
rumors of infidelity with secretary, brief unsatisfactory visit by wife in america
eventual smuggling back to ireland in 1921 toward end of irish-english war
de valera internal political battles with collins (trying to get him to leave ireland) and o'mara, siding with cathal brugha, de valera's ill suited military thoughts during the war, events of bloody sunday in 1920, british (royal irish constabulary, auxiliaries, black and tans vs. irish (IRA)
vast winnings of sinn fein during british parliamentary elections, then abstention (not going to Westminster) during parliament
truce between irish and british in mid 1921, peace overtures between british and irish during 1921
unsuccessful attempts to negotiate irish republic between de valera and david lloyd george (british p.m.) in london in 1921, british offering dominion status, de valera floating idea of 'external association'
final peace achieved through partition (north part of england, south an irish republic), negotiated by collins, not agreed by de valera and then beginning irish civil war
de valera refusing to go back to negotiate with llloyd george knowing republic was not gettable, sending collins and crew as scapegoats, and issuing conflicting guidance and ambiguous goals
treaty signed in december 1921, ratified in dail against de valera's wishes, de valera wanting external association and falsely portraying negotiators as signing without his authority
de valera resigning as president of dail after dail votes for treaty, subsequently inciting violence and coogan putting blame on de valera.
formation of provisional government by Griffith/Collins.
de valera same office as rory o'connor (anti Free state army) even though O'Connor not exactly de valera either, traveling around ireland to drum up extremist anti treaty support, de valera trying to delay elections and voting for treaty
formation of 2nd dail in ireland with de valera as head, powerless group/government
o'connor and ira capturing four courts in dublin, eventual shelling by Collins and execution of O'Connor
collins trying to bargain with de valera by breaking treaty by having two sides in provisional goverment with one side not taking oath, british rejecting this
de valera tacitly supporting o'connor's ira positions, then ultimately agreeing with ira to form government in exile and 2nd parliament during irish civil war, somewhat little control over IRA keeping civil war going
ambush and murder of Collins, de Valera tried to prevent assassination
English born but republican anti treaty death of Erskine childers after emergency powers act approved by pro treaty forces to execute any who are conspiring
ultimate capitulation of anti treaty forces
de valera imprisoned but released after approximately a year
angling to get at funds money from america
Rising fortunes of sinn Fein, de valera, boundary commission, failings of free state to prevent northern ireland parts from being ceded back to free state
de valera breaking from sinn fein at Sinn Fein Ard Fheis over abstention policies (de valera wishing to rejoin irish parliament without taking Oath to Great Britain) and consequent formation of new political party, fianna fail
american tour in 1927 to raise funds, trying to recover funds left over from previous tour,
entry into dail with sort of labour coalition as fianna fail party in 1927
creation of irish press with american funds and use as instrument of fianna fail party
1932 election of de valera and followers to power, abolition of oath and fight over payments of land annuities with British
fine gael/blueshirt movement vs. fianna fail and ira supporters
marginalization of fine gael/blueshirts and further consolidation of power by de valera
declaring ira illegal organization in 1936 after falling out between de valera and mcgarrity
1936 further consolidation of power with changes to constitution, removing senate
Constitution and negative impacts on north by assuming all ireland is enveloped by constitution, particularly with emphasis on catholic faith of ireland, negative impacts on women
de valera and poet yeats battles over material being used in subsidized abbey theatre in ireland and u.s. and victory of yeats
de valera ending annuities and economic war with england via negotiations with macdonald, baldwin, chamberlain of england
de valera driving irish neutrality during world war II
conflicts between american ambassador to ireland (david gray) vs. de valera during world war II
irish rejection of british proposal to have united ireland in exchange for use of naval bases and end of irish neutrality
further conflicts between roosevelt/churchill/gray vs. de valera's neutrality stance. arguments for pro vs. con northern ireland conscription (ultimately not pursued). controversies with americans and british trying to get de valera on the public record about neutrality and lack of using ports
german bombing of belfast and to lesser extent dublin and irish neutrality somewhat slanted toward britain
german agitation with unsucessful attempts to engage anti de valera forces via the anti de valera IRA during world war II
finally losing grip on power in 1950's after terrible unemployment, lack of education, high levels of tuberculosis, too much emigration
failing to advance the cause of ending partition and north and south
de valera's last years in power and in opposition, battles to keep religion part of national life, smaller controversies over dictates from rome
failure to grasp economic realities and toothless presidency, mass emigration from ireland
final loss of grip on power as prime minister due in part to raising in dail by others the subject of de valera's ownership of interest/shares in irish press
coogan is quite negative on de valera much of this book. At parts this seems justified, at others, he seems to be bordering upon cheap shots. Not really having any historical perspective or knowledge of this era, it is difficult to say whether coogan is on target here or stretching. This is also not a book for someone looking for a basic entry into Irish history (which I was), as coogan assumes the reader has a large familiarity with many of the figures/names/events of the period.
Often i found myself struggling to remember who such and such a person was or what was the significance or stance of a particular group (sinn fein, for example) at any one time... furthermore, i felt somewhat exhausted by the mountain of information (confusing, overly detailed, not woven together well enough as a narrative, imho), not exactly a ringing endorsement for a book in my mind. all that said, i felt like a learned a ton about irish history and the players of the time. four stars for knowledge, three stars for reading enjoyability.
de valera and irish's neutrality during world war II was also a bit baffling to me. i was left unsure whether neutrality was the position because of a) fear of germany, b) thoughts that germany would win, c) dislike of great britain, d) de valera's political manueverings to remain in power, e) true desire for neutrality by irish people, or some combination of all these things
Helped create Irish constitution, fianna fail party, Irish press group
Birth in America, possibly falsifying of his parents marriage, subsequent retreat back to Ireland
Life at blackrock college in Dublin, early formative events in dublin such as home rule battles, parnell politician, land wars
years as teacher in mathematics, flirting with priesthood (perhaps being turned away)
interest in irish language and thus falling in love, marrying with his teacher
creation and influence of early pre Easter uprising groups such as Gaelic League, Irish Republican Brotherhood, Sinn Fein (political group)
home rule battles in early 1910's with british liberals and irish nationalists supporting, british conservatives and irish ulsters (orangemen) objecting
De valera creating a small Irish nationalistic volunteers armed force
Easter Rising 1916
Failed rising, executed leaders excepting de valera, countermanned order for call up, attempts Rio get German weapons
Release from English jail after one year, becoming prisoner leader and then winning by election in clare
Emerging as leader of constitutional movement,
Irish conscription in world war 1 leading to further strengtheNing of sinn Fein opposition to British
back in jail in 1918 after round up by brush filtering German plot
escape from prison and then first president of dail before leaving ireland to press irish case in u.s. directly to the people
Off to America during Irish English war, smuggled out by collins, not necessarily needing to be smuggled out
perhaps inappropriately being called president of irish republic in america, tours trying to rallying support in america, fights to avoid being too critical of league of nations wilson ideas
conflicts with irish americans (cohalan, devoy) in america over responsibilities, jockeying for power, funds for bond issuing
conflict with collins in ireland over when irish debt should be honored
unsuccessful attempts to get american republican and democratic parties to adopt pro irish planks during 1920 presidential elections
rumors of infidelity with secretary, brief unsatisfactory visit by wife in america
eventual smuggling back to ireland in 1921 toward end of irish-english war
de valera internal political battles with collins (trying to get him to leave ireland) and o'mara, siding with cathal brugha, de valera's ill suited military thoughts during the war, events of bloody sunday in 1920, british (royal irish constabulary, auxiliaries, black and tans vs. irish (IRA)
vast winnings of sinn fein during british parliamentary elections, then abstention (not going to Westminster) during parliament
truce between irish and british in mid 1921, peace overtures between british and irish during 1921
unsuccessful attempts to negotiate irish republic between de valera and david lloyd george (british p.m.) in london in 1921, british offering dominion status, de valera floating idea of 'external association'
final peace achieved through partition (north part of england, south an irish republic), negotiated by collins, not agreed by de valera and then beginning irish civil war
de valera refusing to go back to negotiate with llloyd george knowing republic was not gettable, sending collins and crew as scapegoats, and issuing conflicting guidance and ambiguous goals
treaty signed in december 1921, ratified in dail against de valera's wishes, de valera wanting external association and falsely portraying negotiators as signing without his authority
de valera resigning as president of dail after dail votes for treaty, subsequently inciting violence and coogan putting blame on de valera.
formation of provisional government by Griffith/Collins.
de valera same office as rory o'connor (anti Free state army) even though O'Connor not exactly de valera either, traveling around ireland to drum up extremist anti treaty support, de valera trying to delay elections and voting for treaty
formation of 2nd dail in ireland with de valera as head, powerless group/government
o'connor and ira capturing four courts in dublin, eventual shelling by Collins and execution of O'Connor
collins trying to bargain with de valera by breaking treaty by having two sides in provisional goverment with one side not taking oath, british rejecting this
de valera tacitly supporting o'connor's ira positions, then ultimately agreeing with ira to form government in exile and 2nd parliament during irish civil war, somewhat little control over IRA keeping civil war going
ambush and murder of Collins, de Valera tried to prevent assassination
English born but republican anti treaty death of Erskine childers after emergency powers act approved by pro treaty forces to execute any who are conspiring
ultimate capitulation of anti treaty forces
de valera imprisoned but released after approximately a year
angling to get at funds money from america
Rising fortunes of sinn Fein, de valera, boundary commission, failings of free state to prevent northern ireland parts from being ceded back to free state
de valera breaking from sinn fein at Sinn Fein Ard Fheis over abstention policies (de valera wishing to rejoin irish parliament without taking Oath to Great Britain) and consequent formation of new political party, fianna fail
american tour in 1927 to raise funds, trying to recover funds left over from previous tour,
entry into dail with sort of labour coalition as fianna fail party in 1927
creation of irish press with american funds and use as instrument of fianna fail party
1932 election of de valera and followers to power, abolition of oath and fight over payments of land annuities with British
fine gael/blueshirt movement vs. fianna fail and ira supporters
marginalization of fine gael/blueshirts and further consolidation of power by de valera
declaring ira illegal organization in 1936 after falling out between de valera and mcgarrity
1936 further consolidation of power with changes to constitution, removing senate
Constitution and negative impacts on north by assuming all ireland is enveloped by constitution, particularly with emphasis on catholic faith of ireland, negative impacts on women
de valera and poet yeats battles over material being used in subsidized abbey theatre in ireland and u.s. and victory of yeats
de valera ending annuities and economic war with england via negotiations with macdonald, baldwin, chamberlain of england
de valera driving irish neutrality during world war II
conflicts between american ambassador to ireland (david gray) vs. de valera during world war II
irish rejection of british proposal to have united ireland in exchange for use of naval bases and end of irish neutrality
further conflicts between roosevelt/churchill/gray vs. de valera's neutrality stance. arguments for pro vs. con northern ireland conscription (ultimately not pursued). controversies with americans and british trying to get de valera on the public record about neutrality and lack of using ports
german bombing of belfast and to lesser extent dublin and irish neutrality somewhat slanted toward britain
german agitation with unsucessful attempts to engage anti de valera forces via the anti de valera IRA during world war II
finally losing grip on power in 1950's after terrible unemployment, lack of education, high levels of tuberculosis, too much emigration
failing to advance the cause of ending partition and north and south
de valera's last years in power and in opposition, battles to keep religion part of national life, smaller controversies over dictates from rome
failure to grasp economic realities and toothless presidency, mass emigration from ireland
final loss of grip on power as prime minister due in part to raising in dail by others the subject of de valera's ownership of interest/shares in irish press
May 29, 2008
De Valera is not my favorite but since Coogan wrote the book I gave it 4 stars! Great biography but I am not a fan of the main character!
February 28, 2012
If you want an exhaustive, detailed, at times overwhelming history of Eamon de Valera and his times, this is the book to come to.
It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s more than 700 pages, with a deep index and bibliography. If you’re unfamiliar with Irish history, it’s not a book you should start with. It took me two years, on and off, to read.
But it did deepen my knowledge of recent Irish history. It's not for the faint of heart or the easily discouraged, but it will add to your understanding of what has happened in that country over the last century.
It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s more than 700 pages, with a deep index and bibliography. If you’re unfamiliar with Irish history, it’s not a book you should start with. It took me two years, on and off, to read.
But it did deepen my knowledge of recent Irish history. It's not for the faint of heart or the easily discouraged, but it will add to your understanding of what has happened in that country over the last century.
September 24, 2023
I'm pretty sure I'd read this 20 years ago but that had no particular impact on what it was like to read it this time.
I'd say up front that Coogan is "not a fan" here. And although I haven't looked at the reviews of the book, I imagine there's still controversy; I ran across some reviews of the movie "Michael Collins" that accused it of neglecting "people with real character" like Dev.
The book is filled with detail from archives as well as from interviews with people who knew Dev most of his life, whom Coogan was able to interview in the 70s and 80s.
It's clear from the beginning that de Valera always looked out for Number 1, and was mostly interested in getting and keeping power in Ireland. The chaos he caused in the US Irish community on his first visit was an early sign of how he was able to enter a situation and cause it to break down because he wanted to control it.
Coogan gives him his due when it comes to foreign relations and his ability to negotiate, which makes it all the sadder and more aggravating that he did not go to England to lead treaty negotiations, but sent Collins and Griffith, because he knew that there was no perfect outcome possible and he didn't want to be to blame for it. From then on until he became Taoiseach, he used the IRA to undermine the government; once he WAS the government, he mercilessly interned and executed them. Coogan constantly refers to the "official biography" to demonstrate that a lot of it was lies or at best fudging of what really happened.
The neutrality position during WWII is discussed in detail through several chapters. While this made Ireland unpopular internationally, it seems clear that Germany derived no benefit from Ireland's neutrality which tended to be quietly supportive of the allies. And although Churchill basically hated Ireland and wanted to conquer it with a huge army, and tried to punish it for neutrality every way it could, wartime records indicate the British actually saw a benefit in Ireland's neutrality - being so small and with such a large seacoast, Ireland would have been fairly easy for the Germans to overrun and use as a rear base to attack Britain from both sides. Neutrality made that impossible. Despite this fact, the allies did everything they could get away with, to make Ireland miserable. Britain actually offered to "maybe in the future sometime" end partition if Ireland would join the war immediately, which de Valera was too smart to fall for (no Charlie Brown with the football, this guy).
It was after the war that the disadvantages of de Valera's hegemony became most obvious. He had no skill or interest in economics, and this became a critical lack as the 1950s wore on. His constitution basically made the country more Catholic than the pope, and there are just now some referenda in the works to remove some of the language about women's place and mitigate its religious nature. These two factors interacted to build the ultimately crippling policies of trying to keep people "on the land" instead of industrializing in any way or modernizing the economy to be more like those of the rest of Europe.
Partition was his hobbyhorse long after most people seemed to have resigned themselves to its continuation, and he used it justify not dealing with just about anything - how can we improve our economy while part of our country is still under a colonial power? Yet his economic and religious policies did nothing to make the south seem like a place where protestant northerners could actually live. Ireland's economy and society is only now recovering from the neglect of his long rule.
Coogan sums up, "...on the great challenges which confronted him during his years in office, de Valera did little that was useful and much that was harmful. Emigration, partition, the economy: even if we start by conceding that his freedom of manoeuvre in these areas was limited, his policies appear to have been framed not for substantive action, but for the eye of the beholder. Rhetoric, rather than reality were the hallmarks of de Valera's style..." And always in the service of keeping him in control of an Ireland that somehow conformed to his ideas.
This quote from the period when the Anglo-Irish treaty was being debated was chilling:
"The first fifteen years of my life that formed my character were lived amongst Irish people down in Limerick; therefore I know what I am talking about; when ever I wanted to know what the Irish people wanted, I had only to examine my own heart and it told me straight off what the Irish people wanted." Coogan has a fine sarcastic touch, and for the rest of the book, he refers to de Valera's "cardiac oracularity." This seems to me to be the key to a lot of what happened in the country between 1920 and 1960. Luckily Ireland seems to be in the process of recovering. Friends tell me that it's possible after the next election in the republic, both parts of Ireland may have Sinn Féin governments, and who knows what might be possible if Britain no longer has the heart to enforce partition. I thought Brexit would be the death knell, but it hasn't happened; it may yet.
Mentioning Sinn Féin reminds me that I wish Coogan's Irish quotes had been better proofread, and that the publisher (not a small outfit) had used a character set with accent marks.
I'd say if you want to understand Ireland in the 20th century, you need to read this.
I'd say up front that Coogan is "not a fan" here. And although I haven't looked at the reviews of the book, I imagine there's still controversy; I ran across some reviews of the movie "Michael Collins" that accused it of neglecting "people with real character" like Dev.
The book is filled with detail from archives as well as from interviews with people who knew Dev most of his life, whom Coogan was able to interview in the 70s and 80s.
It's clear from the beginning that de Valera always looked out for Number 1, and was mostly interested in getting and keeping power in Ireland. The chaos he caused in the US Irish community on his first visit was an early sign of how he was able to enter a situation and cause it to break down because he wanted to control it.
Coogan gives him his due when it comes to foreign relations and his ability to negotiate, which makes it all the sadder and more aggravating that he did not go to England to lead treaty negotiations, but sent Collins and Griffith, because he knew that there was no perfect outcome possible and he didn't want to be to blame for it. From then on until he became Taoiseach, he used the IRA to undermine the government; once he WAS the government, he mercilessly interned and executed them. Coogan constantly refers to the "official biography" to demonstrate that a lot of it was lies or at best fudging of what really happened.
The neutrality position during WWII is discussed in detail through several chapters. While this made Ireland unpopular internationally, it seems clear that Germany derived no benefit from Ireland's neutrality which tended to be quietly supportive of the allies. And although Churchill basically hated Ireland and wanted to conquer it with a huge army, and tried to punish it for neutrality every way it could, wartime records indicate the British actually saw a benefit in Ireland's neutrality - being so small and with such a large seacoast, Ireland would have been fairly easy for the Germans to overrun and use as a rear base to attack Britain from both sides. Neutrality made that impossible. Despite this fact, the allies did everything they could get away with, to make Ireland miserable. Britain actually offered to "maybe in the future sometime" end partition if Ireland would join the war immediately, which de Valera was too smart to fall for (no Charlie Brown with the football, this guy).
It was after the war that the disadvantages of de Valera's hegemony became most obvious. He had no skill or interest in economics, and this became a critical lack as the 1950s wore on. His constitution basically made the country more Catholic than the pope, and there are just now some referenda in the works to remove some of the language about women's place and mitigate its religious nature. These two factors interacted to build the ultimately crippling policies of trying to keep people "on the land" instead of industrializing in any way or modernizing the economy to be more like those of the rest of Europe.
Partition was his hobbyhorse long after most people seemed to have resigned themselves to its continuation, and he used it justify not dealing with just about anything - how can we improve our economy while part of our country is still under a colonial power? Yet his economic and religious policies did nothing to make the south seem like a place where protestant northerners could actually live. Ireland's economy and society is only now recovering from the neglect of his long rule.
Coogan sums up, "...on the great challenges which confronted him during his years in office, de Valera did little that was useful and much that was harmful. Emigration, partition, the economy: even if we start by conceding that his freedom of manoeuvre in these areas was limited, his policies appear to have been framed not for substantive action, but for the eye of the beholder. Rhetoric, rather than reality were the hallmarks of de Valera's style..." And always in the service of keeping him in control of an Ireland that somehow conformed to his ideas.
This quote from the period when the Anglo-Irish treaty was being debated was chilling:
"The first fifteen years of my life that formed my character were lived amongst Irish people down in Limerick; therefore I know what I am talking about; when ever I wanted to know what the Irish people wanted, I had only to examine my own heart and it told me straight off what the Irish people wanted." Coogan has a fine sarcastic touch, and for the rest of the book, he refers to de Valera's "cardiac oracularity." This seems to me to be the key to a lot of what happened in the country between 1920 and 1960. Luckily Ireland seems to be in the process of recovering. Friends tell me that it's possible after the next election in the republic, both parts of Ireland may have Sinn Féin governments, and who knows what might be possible if Britain no longer has the heart to enforce partition. I thought Brexit would be the death knell, but it hasn't happened; it may yet.
Mentioning Sinn Féin reminds me that I wish Coogan's Irish quotes had been better proofread, and that the publisher (not a small outfit) had used a character set with accent marks.
I'd say if you want to understand Ireland in the 20th century, you need to read this.
May 25, 2024
A magisterial overview of the "Stalin of Ireland" and his legacy. I've deleted a star for its prohibitive length - it scares away the "easy read" crowd, and thus hurts its exposure - but for those who want the ins and outs of high politics in Ireland and Britain through the 20th century it's an indispensable guide, and all the better for its Irish view beyond the gates of Westminster.
Pelvis-deep in the muck of IRA blood-shenanigans and the civil war, de Valera popped right-side up of the grave smelling like a rose. Coogan, as long-time nationalist interpreter of his homeland, focuses strongly on de Valera's handling of WW II. Pressed for alliance commitment by Britain, Churchill was ready to seize Irish ports if de Valera deviated one inch from his professed neutrality. The Germans, of course, would have loved to turn the island into a great-power catspaw - a "Ukraine" to drain British attention away from the continent. Failing that, they too demanded strict neutrality, or the promise of a devastating blitzkrieg that would've cost underdeveloped Ireland much more dearly than US-propped England.
Modern readers will recoil in horror at his expression of condolences to the German legation at the time of Hitler's death. But de Valera was a cunning, often devious "realpolitikician" who had long believed and practiced the division between personal morals and matters of state. Today, when all is about feel-good virtue-signaling, this kind of stark honesty is as as rare as it is heretical.
Crushing his "Trotskyist" opposition in the IRA, making a non-aggression pact with Hitler, and the church "kremlin" a defacto state power, de Valera draped a shamrock curtain around Irish life. Coogan's greatly-detailed account dissects it anatomically, for all those interested in exhaustive forensic political autopsy.
Pelvis-deep in the muck of IRA blood-shenanigans and the civil war, de Valera popped right-side up of the grave smelling like a rose. Coogan, as long-time nationalist interpreter of his homeland, focuses strongly on de Valera's handling of WW II. Pressed for alliance commitment by Britain, Churchill was ready to seize Irish ports if de Valera deviated one inch from his professed neutrality. The Germans, of course, would have loved to turn the island into a great-power catspaw - a "Ukraine" to drain British attention away from the continent. Failing that, they too demanded strict neutrality, or the promise of a devastating blitzkrieg that would've cost underdeveloped Ireland much more dearly than US-propped England.
Modern readers will recoil in horror at his expression of condolences to the German legation at the time of Hitler's death. But de Valera was a cunning, often devious "realpolitikician" who had long believed and practiced the division between personal morals and matters of state. Today, when all is about feel-good virtue-signaling, this kind of stark honesty is as as rare as it is heretical.
Crushing his "Trotskyist" opposition in the IRA, making a non-aggression pact with Hitler, and the church "kremlin" a defacto state power, de Valera draped a shamrock curtain around Irish life. Coogan's greatly-detailed account dissects it anatomically, for all those interested in exhaustive forensic political autopsy.
Currently reading
September 20, 2025My dad gave me this before he passed away. My grandfather knew de Valera in Dublin and was with the Dublin Brigades. We had a lovely certificate sort of document illustrated and in Irish signed by him on the wall for years.
From what I uderstand though my grandfather spoke Irish and fought for the cause along with several generations of that side of the family, he did not agree with de Valera's vision of the Irish identity. He felt that 1920's Ireland should move into the global 20th century.
From what I uderstand though my grandfather spoke Irish and fought for the cause along with several generations of that side of the family, he did not agree with de Valera's vision of the Irish identity. He felt that 1920's Ireland should move into the global 20th century.
October 17, 2025
History should not be just stripped down facts, as any reader knows. The historian needs to manage the narrative of what he is writing and that can certainly include his own opinion. There are times here, though, where Coogan goes a bit far. In the modern parlance, his biases are there for all to see. The result is a bloated work far inferior to Ferriter’s later effort.
December 16, 2016
A very thorough book. Well written study of an important Irish leader. Despite the title this is anything but hagiography.
June 6, 2019
Much more than just a biography. A tour de force of Irish history and this controversial man. Well worth reading.
September 21, 2013
“Eamon DeValera: The Man Who Was Ireland” tells the story of the “The Tall Fellow” whose shadow covered nearly a century of Irish history. Slated for execution during the Easter Uprising of 1916, Dev was saved, possibly by his American birth, to become a leader of the opposition to the treaty that portioned Ireland and gave the southern 26 counties their independence. A rebel during the Civil War, DaVelera returned to parliament where he would always be a leader and often Taoiseach (Prime Minister). His tenure spanned depression, World War II, an uneasy post-war period during which Ireland exported its people from its chronically economically depressed island. Concluding his tenure as Taoiseach in 1959, Dev served as president until 1973.
Born in New York, Dev was sent home to Ireland at the age of two to live with relatives. He grew up in a strong Catholic community and was educated to be a school teacher. He soon left teaching for politics which would be his life’s work.
Author Tim Pat Coogan has written a long, detailed book that not only introduces the reader to DeValera, but also to other characters with whom he shared the Irish public stage. Michael Collins is a frequent figure on these pages. He also introduces us to the Ireland of the Twentieth Century. I had read some Irish history, but this took my understanding much deeper than it had been. This book brings out the division between those who favored the Treaty that brought partition and those who always called for a United Ireland, the incredible political violence throughout the century and the tenuous hold that even The Tall Fellow had on power.
This book is not about the Ireland of legend. Coogan is fairly hard on DeValera. He concludes that he did not address Ireland’s problems, that he kept the Partition issue in the forefront, not to really unite Ireland, a unification which would have cost Dev power, but to maintain an external foil against whom to run. Ironically, DeValera’s greatest achievement, that of keeping Ireland neutral during World War II, would be a stand which would make him, to an extent, a post-war outcast in non-Irish circles.
Although a bit long, I enjoyed this book for its introduction to a giant life and the history of a country which is of much interest to me.
Born in New York, Dev was sent home to Ireland at the age of two to live with relatives. He grew up in a strong Catholic community and was educated to be a school teacher. He soon left teaching for politics which would be his life’s work.
Author Tim Pat Coogan has written a long, detailed book that not only introduces the reader to DeValera, but also to other characters with whom he shared the Irish public stage. Michael Collins is a frequent figure on these pages. He also introduces us to the Ireland of the Twentieth Century. I had read some Irish history, but this took my understanding much deeper than it had been. This book brings out the division between those who favored the Treaty that brought partition and those who always called for a United Ireland, the incredible political violence throughout the century and the tenuous hold that even The Tall Fellow had on power.
This book is not about the Ireland of legend. Coogan is fairly hard on DeValera. He concludes that he did not address Ireland’s problems, that he kept the Partition issue in the forefront, not to really unite Ireland, a unification which would have cost Dev power, but to maintain an external foil against whom to run. Ironically, DeValera’s greatest achievement, that of keeping Ireland neutral during World War II, would be a stand which would make him, to an extent, a post-war outcast in non-Irish circles.
Although a bit long, I enjoyed this book for its introduction to a giant life and the history of a country which is of much interest to me.
October 13, 2020
Dev must have cost many Irish lives on ships by keeping Ireland out of World War II. But he must have saved many Irish lives by reducing the number of bombs that fell on Irish soil. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.
I loved the comment that Dev was effectively a 'lay' Cardinal in his attempts to keep Ireland 'Catholic'. But we now know the type of Catholic Ireland that existed - mother and baby homes, clerical abuse, etc - in his time. It was all about power. Keep the population in check and it's easier to keep power.
I loved the comment that Dev was effectively a 'lay' Cardinal in his attempts to keep Ireland 'Catholic'. But we now know the type of Catholic Ireland that existed - mother and baby homes, clerical abuse, etc - in his time. It was all about power. Keep the population in check and it's easier to keep power.
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September 15, 2012"A great bio of the truly flawed but still monumental Irish figure Eamon De Valera. Coogan comes down on the Collins side of the equation, but the book is a must read, even for those who may have a different view."
February 10, 2013
I really enjoyed this book because it spans across Ireland's recent history and gives insights through the eyes of a complex significant man.
I would not say great. But I respect and tip my hat to anyone who kisses his wife good bye leaving home expecting to die for his country.
I would not say great. But I respect and tip my hat to anyone who kisses his wife good bye leaving home expecting to die for his country.
September 2, 2011
It's clear that Coogan warms to the subject of all things Irish. This is an admirably research, well written and thoughtful work, a thoroughly engaging read.
February 8, 2016
Tim Pat Coogan's large work on de Valera is well worth the time.
September 7, 2022
A great story of a very complicated man.
Want to read
August 20, 2014Interesting but long, hence I've not finished it yet.
August 16, 2012
Makes a weak man look good.
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