Síle de Valera

Granddaughter of Eamon de Valera

Síle de Valera

“We’re celebrating now a time of 90 years from the first Dáil. It might look as if members that were elected at that time just walked in and took their place, but it was a very different world. It’s important to remind people that the 1918 election was a watershed in Irish history. That was the mandate for national independence and that mandate was a heavy responsibility for all those who were elected to the 1919 Dáil.

“When the Dáil met on the first day, so many elected members were in jail – my grandfather being one of those. It wasn’t until the second sitting of the Dáil that he was able to take his place.

“They were trying to form a government, accredit ambassadors and ensure recognition from other countries. They were trying to set up the mechanisms to run a sovereign nation. I think it’s important to fill in the history there.

“We saw Dev as our grandfather, rather than a political figure. He died when I was 20 so I had the opportunity of knowing him very well and discussing issues, political and otherwise. He knew of my interest in politics and was always very supportive.

Eamon de Valera

“We used to ask him questions. As children we loved the story of the escape from Lincoln Jail, because that seemed such an adventure. At that stage of course we didn’t totally understand the political significance.

“He is seen as two-dimensional, rather than three-dimensional. He was taoiseach for the first four years of my life and president for the following 14. He had a very public role to play. That didn’t always lend itself to being known for the character that he was: the more amusing, carefree side.

“He was a person with a great sense of humour. That isn’t always something that’s understood. He was just a very engaging character; he used to join in our games and he loved to discuss our issues.

“He had a great personality. He was great fun. Mind you, the jokes had to be very clean jokes.

“We were a close family growing up. We used to meet every Sunday in the Áras. He was the patriarch. He was always interested in how you did in exams. When results came out there would always be a telephone call that night. I remember him trying to teach me maths and Roman numerals.

“He was either on the run or in jail while his own kids were growing up. With grandchildren he was more in a position to indulge us.” – Mary Minihan