Eamon de Valera Quotes
A land whose countryside would be bright with cosy homesteads, whose fields and villages would be joyous with the sounds of industry, with the romping of sturdy children, the contests of athletic youths and the laughter of comely maidens, whose firesides for the wisdom of serene old age.
Eamon De Valera, 1882-1975, Irish Revolutionary and President of Ireland, Founder, Fianna Fail Party, St. Patrick’s Day broadcast, 1943
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Executed by the English for his part in the Easter Uprising.
His memoir is one of the best descriptions of the Irish people at the time. Note that this was before the potato was introduced into Ireland from South America. One of the most interesting things about the Irish at the time is that they did not drink water or eat fish while both were very abundant and of very high quality. The Captain had broken formation in the 1588 Great Armada defeat by England and was ordered onboard another ship of officers to be disciplined (scapegoats for the defeat). His ship was severely damaged, blown off course, and wrecked on the Irish coast. Note that he refers to the Irish as “savages” which was in comportment with the English perception of the Irish at the time—see {639438}. When shipwrecked the Irish robbed and stripped the Spaniards of every shred of their clothing, but they did not kill the few Spaniards who were left alive. They lived off roots and plants until they ran into other Irish who saw them as allied Catholics against the hated English. These Irish assisted them from being captured by the English and helped the escape back to Spain in a small boat.
Éamon de Valera was a prominent statesman and political leader in 20th-century Ireland, serving several terms as head of government and head of state, with a prominent role introducing the Constitution of Ireland.
