Eamon De Valera Influence On Ireland

“The Ireland which we have dreamed of would be the home of a people who valued material wealth only as the basis of a right living, of a people who were satisfied with frugal comfort and devoted their leisure to the things of the spirit” one author said (Hennessy). This couldn’t be more evident than through the life of Eamon de Valera, the most important person in Ireland history. Ironically, Ireland wasn’t his birthplace, as you would assume; instead, de Valera was born and raised in The United States until his father’s untimely death at a mere two years of age. Unfortunately, this left him and his mother in poor circumstances. To achieve a better life de Valera was sent to Ireland to live with his grandmother. Throughout his adolescence, de Valera became very passionate about Ireland and the fight for their independence. Due to the fervor for his …show more content…
By being around nationalists at a youthful age, de Valera was able to learn about the sovereignty of his country. This was a key part of his life because it shaped him to be an advocate for Ireland's freedom. In 1913, Eamon de Valera joined the Irish Volunteers. This was an organization that wanted to maintain the rights of their people and significantly support the Home Rule of Ireland. By joining a volunteer group, de Valera showed that the money was meaningless and that he was willing to do whatever it took for the sake of Ireland's Independence. To emphasize his popularity, the Irish Volunteers promoted him to officer within the group. In due time, his acts of bravery during the Easter Rising will go down in history. With de Valera's back against the wall, he continued to fight for freedom and liberty for his country. "In Irish history, a republican insurrection against the British government that began on Easter Monday, April 1916, in Dublin" stated one author (Easter