Eamon de Valera

This “astute, nuanced and highly readable” biography of the legendary Irish president offers an enlightening reappraisal of his divisive legacy (Wall Street Journal).

Ronan Fanning, one of Ireland’s foremost historians, presents a nuanced portrait of the man who embodies Irish independence as much as Charles de Gaulle personifies French resistance and Winston Churchill exemplifies British resolve. Fanning reconciles de Valera’s shortcomings with his towering achievement as the statesman who single-handedly severed Ireland’s last ties to England.

Born in New York in 1882, de Valera was raised by his mother’s family in Ireland, where a solitary upbringing forged the extraordinary self-sufficiency that became his hallmark. Conservative in his youth, he changed his name from Edward to Éamon when he joined the Irish language revival movement. He later joined the Irish Volunteers, a nationalist military organization, and participated in the 1916 Easter Rising.

De Valera used his prestige as the senior surviving rebel officer to become the leader of Ireland’s revolutionary nationalists. But his famous iron will became a fateful weakness when he stubbornly rejected the Anglo-Irish Treaty, sparking the Irish Civil War of 1922–1923. This “well-written and balanced biography” presents a man who’s dedication to independence was unwavering, yet whose vision for Ireland was blinkered (Irish Examiner).