Analysis: You would have been stunned that de Valera, a rugby player on the southside of Dublin, would have been out with a gun on Easter Monday in 1916
By Paul Rouse, UCD
When people look back at the life of Éamon de Valera, they see this old man in his blindness, struggling around the place. They associate him with a certain greyness and maybe an economic failure and maybe a man who is an austere personality. But he was not that at all when he was younger. He was many different things, he was filled with multitudes – and he was a rugby player.
Oh, he loved rugby. He loved going to rugby internationals and he loved going to the pub after rugby matches. He recalls a pretty devastating experience after one rugby match when he strayed into whiskey rather than sticking with stout.
He loved playing the game. He captained the Blackrock College rugby seconds when he was in his 20s, played for the firsts. He was always interested in the game and retained that interest throughout his life.
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From RTÉ Archives, Éamon de Valera reflects on his life on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 1962
De Valera joined that world of sport that was part of the public school system in England, which had been emulated in Ireland by the elite fee-paying schools here. They used sport as an essential part of a student's day. Rugby in the winter and cricket in the summer were the driving sporting experiences of people in Blackrock College.
De Valera took to rugby immediately. This is where it gets really interesting. You look at this man later on who is shuffling around and he's tall and he's not got a pick on him and you wonder how he could play. But he was deemed to be surprisingly strong. He was good enough when he left Blackrock and worked in Rockwell College for a while to get a trial for the Munster rugby team and his opposite number outperformed him slightly and became an Irish international. That road was almost taken by De Valera.
One of De Valera's most obvious characteristics is competitiveness. It was revealed in sports, it was revealed in education, it was revealed in everything in his life. It was a defining feature of him and he strove for excellence in everything that he did, including in learning the language and sport.
He found a certain belonging in Dublin society. He lived most of his life around Blackrock College after he was there. He was attracted to the area and he was drawn back to the school repeatedly. Yes, he was drawn into Irish language circles and through that, he was also really interested in history and Irish nationalism.
But it was another leap still to be out on Easter Monday with a gun. That can only be seen in the context of the radicalisation and the militarisation of Irish society from 1913 onwards. You would have been stunned in 1907 or 1908 that this man, who was a rugby player on the southside of Dublin, would have been out with a gun on Easter Monday.
Watch part one of 'Dev: Rise and Rule' on Wednesday 3 September at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Part two airs Wednesday 10 September at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
Prof Paul Rouse is a professor in the School Of History at UCD. He is a former Research Ireland awardee.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
