Sir, - Historians, with some exceptions, will rejoice at Kevin Myers's call (An Irishman's Diary, December 2nd) for the creation of "a new national narrative" incorporating once forbidden and shameful topics such as venereal disease, child-abuse, homosexuality and alcoholism. His own work in documenting and publicising the record of Irish involvement in the Great War has been a remarkable contribution to "revisionist history", and an inspiration to scholars. After so long and wearisome a campaign, we can scarcely protest at his desire to deploy his column against new targets.
Regrettably, his preliminary sally against Eamon de Valera seems wide of the mark. No biographer has been so scathing about "the Long Fellow", or so relentless in his pursuit of innuendo and rumour, as Tim Pat Coogan. Yet even Coogan concludes that Ireland's future leader was registered and baptised as Edward (or George) De Valeros (or de Valero) in 1882, three years after the arrival in New York of his mother, Catherine Coll. The attribution of paternity to Tom Atkinson of Glenwilliam is therefore absurd.
Both American documents name his father as Vivion, refuting the claim that "no record of him has been found."
Coogan also reports, contrary to Kevin Myers, that the name entered on the roll of the Bruree National School was "Eddie Develera" (not "Edward Coll"). Though he may have been conceived out of wedlock, there is no good reason to doubt de Valera's own account of his parentage.
In recovering suppressed elements of Ireland's national narrative, we must avoid the traps set by past slanderers and gossips, whose alternative accounts are often as fanciful and disingenuous as the "myths" which they purport to undermine.-Yours, etc., David Fitzpatrick, Department of Modern History,
Trinity College, Dublin 2.