President of Ireland Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index President of Ireland The President of Ireland is the Irish head of state. The office was created in Bunreacht na h�ireann , the 1937 constitution of �ire (now the Republic of Ireland ). The office is open to every Irish citizen aged 35 and over. Though the constitution uses the male terms 'he' and 'him', the office can be held by either gender; of the eight presidents to date, six were men, and two women. Given the language of the constitution, this article uses 'he' or 'him' when quoting to the constitution, and 'she' elsewhere, to match the gender of the current president, Mary McAleese . Table of contents List of Presidents of Ireland # Name Took Office Left Office Party The Presidential Commission is formed by the Chief Justice, the Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) of D�il �ireann and the Cathaoirleach (Chairperson) of Seanad �ireann . Presidential Powers The President, in Irish 'an tUachtar�n' (pronounced 'on t-ook-tar-on'), has a largely ceremonial role with relatively little real political power.

Among her major powers (most unused) are The right, after consultation with the Council of State , to refer a Bill (other than a Money Bill or a Bill to amend the Constitution) to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality; (This is the most widely used presidential power.) The right, after consultation with the Council of State, to set up a Committee on Privileges to solve a dispute between the two houses of the Oireachtas (parliament) over whether a Bill is a Money Bill; (This power has never been used.) The right, after consultation with the Council of State, to impose time-limits on the period during which Seanad �ireann can discuss a Bill.

(This power has never been used) The right, after consultation with the Council of State, to decline to sign a Bill into law (other than a Money Bill, a Bill whose time for discussion in the Senate has been limited by the President, or a Bill to amend the Constitution) until it has been approved by the people in either a (a) referendum, or a (b) general election, held within eight months; (This power has never been used.) The right, after consultation with the Council of State and having had the text approved en bloc by the Government, to address, or send a message to, either or both Houses of the Oireachtas; (This power has been used 4 times; by President de Valera once, President Robinson twice and President McAleese once.) The right, after consultation with the Council of State and having had the text approved en bloc by the Government, to address, or send a message to, the Nation; (This power has not been used.) The right to refuse a D�il dissolution to a Taoiseach who has "ceased to retain the support of a majority" in D�il �ireann.

(In such an event, another constitutional article requires the Taoiseach to submit his resignation immediately.) (This power has not been used, but has been considered for use in 1944, 1982 (twice) and 1994.) Selecting the President The President is formally elected by the citizens of Ireland every seven years (or when a vacancy occurs). Candidates can be nominated by Twenty TDs and/or Senators Four local authorities Themselves, if they are the current or former president who has served only one term. Where only one candidate is nominated, he or she is deemed elected without the need for a ballot. Presidential Elections Presidentials elections (victors in italics) [Note: The years link up to sites on the various Irish presidential elections] (President Robinson had resigned the presidency one month early to become United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.) Presidential Residence The residence of the President of Ireland is the ninety-two room �ras an Uachtar�in , (pronounced 'Or-us an ook-tar-on' , the gaelic for the President's house) in the Phoenix Park , Dublin.

The building formerly served as the 'out of season' residence of the Irish Lord Lieutenant and the residence of two of the three Governors-General , Tim Healy and James McNeill . The President's Address & Style The President is formally addressed as: 'President' (not 'Mr/Madam President', as in the United States) or Uachtar�n (the Irish language version). Sometimes people use the version 'Your Excellency'. The President's style is normally 'Her Excellency''.

The Presidential Oath Article 12.8 of Bunreacht na h�ireann states that: ''The President shall enter upon his office by taking and subscribing publicly, in the presence of members of both Houses of the Oireachtas, of Judges of the Supreme Court and of the High Court, and other public personages, the following declaration: As Gaeilge I l�thair Dia na nUilechumhacht, t�imse � ghealladh agus � dhearbh� go soll�nta is go f�rinneach bheith i mo thaca agus i mo dhid�n do Bhunreacht �ireann, agus dl�the a chaomhn�, mo dhualgais a chomhl�onadh go dil�s coinsiasach de r�ir an Bhunreacht is an dl�, agus mo l�nd�cheall a dh�anamh ar son leasa is f�naimh mhuintir na h�ireann. Dia do mo sti�radh agus do mo chumhdach.

In English In the presence of Almighty God I do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will maintain the Constitution of Ireland and uphold its laws, that I will fulfil my duties faithfully and conscientiously in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and that I will dedicate my abilities to the service and the welfare of the people of Ireland. May God direct and sustain me. The Presidential Anthem The Irish presidential anthem is taken from the Irish National Anthem, Amhr�n na bhFiann (in english, the Soldier's Song) and involves playing the first two and last two lines of the anthem. Problems over the term 'President of Ireland' The original version of Bunreacht na h�ireann as adopted in 1937, in its controversial Articles 2 and 3, mentioned two geopolitical entities, a thirty-two county 'National Territory' (i.e., the island of Ireland) and a twenty-six county 'state' formerly known as the Irish Free State . (These Articles have since been changed!) The implication behind the title 'President of Ireland' was that the President would function as the head of all Ireland.

However this implication was challenged by the Ulster Unionists and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which was the state internationally acknowledged as governing Northern Ireland , a fact enshrined in the Government of Ireland Act , 1920, which created Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland , the latter of which became the Irish Free State in 1922, �ire in 1937 and the Republic of Ireland in 1949. Ireland in turn challenged the proclamation by the British parliament of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 as 'queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The government of the Republic of Ireland refused to attend royal functions as a result; for example, President Hillery (1976-90) declined on Government advice to attend the wedding of the Prince of Wales to the late Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, to which he had been invited by Queen Elizabeth, while President Sean T. � Ceallaigh declined on government advice to attend the Coronation Garden Party at the British Embassy in 1953.

Britain in turn insisted on referring to the President as 'President of the Republic of Ireland' or 'President of the Irish Republic.' Letters of Credence from Queen Elizabeth, on Her Majesty's Government's advice, appointing United Kingdom ambassadors to Ireland were not addressed to the 'President of Ireland' but to the president personally (e.g., 'President Hillery'.) This dispute has largely been forgotten in recent years. President Robinson (1990-97) chose unilaterally to break the taboo by regularly visiting Britain for public functions, frequently to do with Anglo-Irish Relations or to visit the Irish emigrant community in Britain. In another breaking of precedent, she was invited to Buckingham Palace by Queen Elizabeth II. Interestingly, the Palace accreditation supplied to journalists covering the history-making visit referred to the visit of the President of Ireland. In recent times, both Presidents Robinson and her successor Mary McAleese (1997- ) have visited the Palace on numerous occasions, while the Prince of Wales, Duke of York, Earl of Wessex and Duke of Edinburgh have all visited successive presidents of Ireland in �ras an Uachtar�in (the presidential palace). Presidents have also have attended functions with the Princess Royal.

Her Majesty the Queen and Her Excellency the President even jointly hosted a reception in St. James's Palace in London in 1995, to commemorate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the Queen's Colleges in 1850. (The Queen's Colleges are now known as Queen's University, Belfast , the National University of Ireland, Cork (formerly University College, Cork) and the National University of Ireland, Galway (formerly University College, Galway).) Though the president's title implicitly claimed authority in Northern Ireland, in reality the Irish President needed government permission to visit Northern Ireland, it being treated as a 'foreign visit.' (The Irish state in Article 3 explicitly stated that its authority was limited to the twenty-six counties and did not apply to the six counties of Northern Ireland. Presidents up to the presidency of Mary Robinson (1990-97) were regularly refused permission by the Government of the Republic of Ireland to visit Northern Ireland .) Since the 1990s under President Robinson, but in particular since the Good Friday Agreement the current president, Mary McAleese, who is herself the first President of Ireland from Northern Ireland, regularly visits the six counties.

In a sign of the warmth of the modern Anglo-Irish Relationship , she has been warmly welcomed by leading Unionists. At the funeral for a child murdered by the Real IRA in Omagh she symbolically walked up the main aisle of the Roman Catholic Church hand-in-hand with the Ulster Unionist leader and First Minister of Northern Ireland , David Trimble , MP. Similarly when Queen Elizabeth II visited the Stormont Parliament Buildings on a trip to Northern Ireland as part of her Golden Jubilee Tour in 2002, and spoke of the sense of Irish identity of Northern nationalists, Sinn F�in chose not to launch any public pickets or protests, stating that the Queen, as a symbol cherished by unionists, was entitled to visit. As a result of the repeal of Articles 2 and 3 as part of the Good Friday Agreement, though technically Mary McAleese's title is 'President of Ireland', in reality she is strictly speaking the 'President of the Republic of Ireland. Who was the Irish Head of State between 1937 and 1949? Before the adoption of the 1937 constitution the Irish Free State had the British monarch also as its monarch and head of state.

In exercising their role in Ireland, in particular from the end of the 1920s, Kings George V, Edward VIII and George VI were unambiguously doing so as King of Ireland, with no role whatsoever for the British state, British government, British Crown or even from 1931 the British Great Seal of the Realm which the Irish replaced with their own Seal (on which the Irish King appeared with the harp and the words ' Saorst�t �ireann )'. The person who wore the Irish and British Crowns may have been the same, but in law they were different entities, as shown when from 1931 not merely did British ministers not have to be present at meetings between Irish ministers and the King, they were barred from attendance, to their fury. It is a matter of considerable historical, legal and political debate as to who was Irish head of state between 1936/7 and 1949. For the functions normally performed by a head of state were spread over three different elements by the new constitution and statute law; the President of Ireland, the King of Ireland (an office created by the Royal Titles Act) and the Government of Ireland .

The President was the state's 'first citizen.' Executive authority, which in most constitutional systems is vested in the head of state, in Bunreacht na h�ireann is vested in the Government, while the role of representing the Irish state abroad (signing treaties, accrediting ambassadors, receiving credentials from ambassadors to Ireland, etc) was exercised by the King of Ireland under Section 3 of the External Relations Act , 1936. Generally, the latter function, of representing the state in international diplomacy, is presumed to be the key defining characteristic of a head of state. As a result, almost every state with which �ire (as Ireland is formally described in Article 4 of Bunreacht na h�ireann ) had diplomatic relations with between 1937 and 1949 concluded that the Irish head of state was the man proclaimed King of Ireland in December 1936, King George VI . This view was echoed by then taoiseach John A.

Costello in a debate in Seanad �ireann (the Irish senate) in December 1948, where he stressed the fact that the Republic of Ireland Act he was introducing would make Irish head of state the man who ought to have been but wasn't, the President of Ireland. Until the Republic of Ireland came into force in April 1949, the President of Ireland had no international role, and such an inferior status that he never dared set foot outside the state. The fact that he was now clearly and unambiguously the Irish head of state was celebrated by President � Ceallaigh by visits to the Holy See and France . A visit to meet King George in Buckingham Palace was also provisionally planned, but timetabling problems with the President's schedule prevented the meeting. On balance, the weight of evidence would suggest that King George VI , as King of Ireland , remained on as Irish head of state until 1949, when the key international representional role previously performed by the King was vested instead in the President of Ireland under the Republic of Ireland Act , 1948. Former Presidents After a President leaves office he or she can go on to a successful post-presidential career.

The best example of this is Mary Robinson who became UN High Commissioner for Human Rights . Currently, there are two living former Presidents, something which has never happened before. They are: Dr. Patrick Hillery , sixth President of Ireland Mary Robinson , seventh President of Ireland Presidential Facts Mary McAleese , eighth President of Ireland One President died while in office: Erskine Hamilton Childers , died of a heart attack in 1974 Two Presidents resigned from office: Cearbhall � D�laigh , resigned in 1976 , two years into his term of office. Mary Robinson , resigned in 1997 , weeks before the end of her term of office, to take up a position at the United Nations . Three Presidents were elected without a contest: Dr. Douglas Hyde , received an all-party nomination in 1938 Cearbhall � D�laigh , received an all-party nomination in 1974 following the death of President Childers Dr. Patrick Hillery , received an all-party nomination in 1976 following the resignation of President � D�laigh Two Presidents were re-elected without a contest: Dr.

Patrick Hillery , re-elected unopposed in 1983 . Two Presidents were Protestants : Erskine Hamilton Childers , fourth President of Ireland Three Presidents served two full terms of office: Among those who wanted to become president but never got nominated are: Alfie Byrne - Lord Mayor of Dublin (1938) Eoin (the Pope) O'Mahony - satirist (1966) Rita Childers - widow of President Erskine Childers (1974) Sean MacBride - Nobel & Lenin Peace Prize winner (1983) Carmencita Hederman - Lord Mayor of Dublin (1990) Favourite candidates unexpectedly defeated in elections: Brian Lenihan (1990) Miscellaneous: Eamon de Valera was the oldest person to hold the Presidency. He was 76 years old when he was elected President and 91 years old when he retired. He was the oldest ever head of state in the world when he retired.

See also History of Ireland 1945 - 1963: The birth of the Irish Republic and economic development Next > In the 1948 General Election de Valera's party was defeated by a coalition led by John Costello. Costello announced his intention to steer Eire out of the British Commonwealth thus making it a fully independent Republic. The UK, which was now ruled by a Labour (a left wing party) government, was greatly troubled by this, as it didn't want to see the Commonwealth collapse. The Commonwealth did not collapse, but at the time it was feared that it could start a domino effect. Within Northern Ireland, the Stormont government was concerned that Eire might be thinking about an active campaign for a united Ireland. Their fears grew when a group of Northern Ireland nationalists, who had banded together under the banner "Anti-Partition League" in 1945, grew rapidly and received support from Eire. The Eire government told Stormont that it would give Unionists "any reasonable constitutuional guarantees" if they would agree to a united Ireland.

However the NI Prime Minister, Basil Brooke dismissed the offer saying "Ulster is not for sale." Brooke then appealed to the UK government that gave him a guarantee that the status of Northern Ireland would not change without Stormont's approval. To back up his claim that the people of Northern Ireland still wanted the union to stay, Brooke called an election in February 1949. The Unionists were greatly angered when the Eire government gave money to the Anti-Partition League to fight the election. Despite winning 40 of the 52 seats, the Unionist politicians were still unnerved by the attempt on the part of Eire to interfere in Northern Ireland affairs. On Easter Monday 1949 Costello brought Eire out of the British Commonwealth and proclaimed that it was now a fully independent republic. Eire was then renamed the Republic of Ireland. Costello was sure that this formation of a Republic would satisfy Irish Republicans and would finally stop the violence in Ireland. He did not, however, realise that many Republicans were still not satisfied - their ideal Republic would be the entire island.

The British responded in June by passing the Ireland Act which both recognised the existance of the Republic of Ireland and gave Stormont the final say in any attempt to re-unify Ireland. The Anti-Partition League was disbanded in 1951 in the face of apathy from both sides of the border. The 1950's were a time of quiet prosperity in Northern Ireland. The Welfare State had been introduced by the Labour government after the war and many poor people in Northern Ireland saw their standard of living rise dramatically. The Stormont government also took advantage of the war damage in Belfast to build better council housing. In 1946 the Health Service was made completely free and unemployment allowances were introduced in 1948. The Labour government also rapidly nationalised most of British infrastructure but Stormont was unhappy about the changes in Northern Ireland. The Unionists were generally right wing and did not like socialist policies. They even proposed forming an independent Northern Irish country until the Labour government agreed to fund the welfare state in Northern Ireland. However this increased Northern Ireland's economic dependance on Britain. In 1951 the Conservatives regained power in Britain, and generally left Stormont to manage Northern Ireland.

Problems existed in Northern Ireland at this time - 94% of the top 740 civil servant posts were held by Protestants (if equal opportunities were in force it should have been nearer 65%) and favouritism was often given to Protestants when council housing was given out. This policy persisted all through the 1950s and 1960s. Times were harsher in the Republic. Jobs were few and far between and a general depression hung over the Irish economy. In 1959 de Valera became President and the new Taoiseach was Sean Lemass. He began a series of plans to rebuild the Irish economy, the first of which was designed to reconstruct the agricultural industry. Another plan gave foreign companies subsidies up to 2/3 of the cost to set up factories in the Republic. He also brought the Republic into the European Economic Community (EEC - which later expanded to become today's European Union) at the same time as the UK joined. The Irish economy grew faster than any predictions and exports had risen by 50% in the period from 1960 to 1966. Therefore Ireland entered the 1960s quite prosperous.

In 1956 the IRA regrouped and began a terrorist campaign in Northern Ireland. They blew up border posts and electricity installations. However the IRA did not have enough weapons, and they met nationalist apathy and even opposition in Northern Ireland and their campaign went out with a whimper in 1962. In the early 1960s it seemed as if nobody in either part of Ireland was really interested in reunification. De Valera - definition of de Valera by The Free Dictionary De Valera - definition of de Valera by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . De Va·le·ra (dĕv′ə-lĕr′ə, -lîr′ə), Eamon 1882-1975. American-born Irish political leader who fought in the 1916 Easter Rebellion and was president of Sinn Fein (1918-1926) before becoming three-time prime minister of the Irish Free State and president of the Republic of Ireland (1959-1973).

de Valera (də vəˈlɛərə; -ˈlɪə-) n (Biography) Eamon (ˈeɪmən). 1882–1975, Irish statesman; president of Sinn Féin (1917–26) and of the Dáil (1918–22); formed the Fianna Fáil party (1927); prime minister (1937–48; 1951–54; 1957–59) and president (1959–73) of the Irish Republic De Va•le•ra (ˌdɛv əˈlɛər ə, -ˈlɪər ə) n. Ea•mon (ˈeɪ mən) 1882–1975, Irish political leader and statesman, born in the U.S.: prime minister of the Republic of Ireland 1932–48, 1951–54, 1957–59; president 1959–73.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Republic of Ireland facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Republic of Ireland The republic's 26 counties are Monaghan , Cavan , and Donegal (constituting part of the historic province of Ulster); Louth , Meath , Dublin , Kildare , Wicklow , Carlow , Wexford , Kilkenny , Laoighis , Offaly , Westmeath , and Longford (comprising Leinster); Tipperary , Waterford , Cork , Kerry , Limerick , and Clare (comprising Munster); and Leitrim , Roscommon , Galway , Mayo , and Sligo (comprising Connacht). In addition to the capital, other urban areas are Limerick , Cork , Dún Laoghaire , Waterford , Galway , and Dundalk . The population is largely Celtic with a minority of English and more recent European and non-European immigrants drawn (since the 1990s) by the country's economic growth. The population is largely Roman Catholic (88%). Although there is no officially established church, the Roman Catholic church has historically played a dominant role in education in the Irish Republic.

English and Gaelic are the official languages, with English the more widely used. Gaelic is most common in the west of the country. Economy Agriculture, once the most important sector of the economy, now engages only 8% of the workforce. The raising of dairy and beef cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry is the chief agricultural enterprise. Among the leading crops are flax, oats, wheat, turnips, barley, potatoes, and sugar beets. The republic's industries account for more than 45% of its gross domestic product and 80% of its exports, and employ roughly 30% of its workforce. Products include steel, foodstuffs, beer and ale, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, vehicles, ships, computer and telecommunications hardware, computer software, linen and laces (for which Ireland is famous), crystal, and handicrafts. The main ports are Dublin and Cork. Around the free port of Shannon are factories producing electronic equipment, chemicals, plastics, and textiles. Copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, and gypsum are mined, and oil and natural gas are produced offshore. Tourism is also very important.

Ireland's main exports are machinery, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, live animals, and animal products. Imports include data processing and other equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, textiles, and clothing. The main trading partners are Great Britain, the United States, and Germany. Government The republic is governed under the constitution of 1937. The president, who is the head of state, is popularly elected to a seven-year term and is eligible for a second term. The prime minister, who is the head of government, is appointed by the president, as is the cabinet. There is a bicameral Parliament, the Oireachtas. The House of Representatives or Dáil Éireann is the more powerful chamber. Its 166 members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation. Members of the 60-seat Senate or Śeanad Éireann are indirectly elected or appointed. All legislators serve five-year terms. Administratively, the country is divided into 26 counties.

History After the establishment by treaty with Great Britain of the Irish Free State (Jan., 1922), civil war broke out between supporters of the treaty and opponents, who refused to accept the partition of Ireland and the retention of any ties with Britain. The antitreaty forces, embodied in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and led by Eamon De Valera , were defeated, although the IRA continued as a secret terrorist organization. William Cosgrave became the first prime minister. De Valera and his followers, the Fianna Fáil party, agreed to take the oath of allegiance to the British crown and entered the Dáil in 1927. In 1932, De Valera became prime minister, and under his administration a new constitution was promulgated (1937), establishing the sovereign nation of Ireland, or Eire, within the Commonwealth of Nations. De Valera's policies aimed at the political and economic independence and union of all of Ireland. The loyalty oath to the crown was abolished, and certain economic provisions of the 1921 treaty with England were repudiated, leading to an "economic war" (1932–38) with Britain.

During World War II, Eire remained neutral and vigorously protested Allied military activity in Northern Ireland. The British were denied the use of Irish ports, and German and Japanese agents were allowed to operate in the country. Some 60,000 Irish citizens, however, volunteered to serve with the British armed forces, including some 7,000 who deserted from the Irish army. The people of Eire suffered relatively little hardship during the war and even profited from increased food exports. The postwar period brought a sharp rise in the cost of living and a decline in population, due in great part to steady emigration to Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and other countries. In 1948, Prime Minister Costello demanded total independence from Great Britain and reunification with the six counties of Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland was proclaimed on Apr. 18, 1949. The country withdrew from the Commonwealth and formally claimed jurisdiction over the Ulster counties. It was admitted to the United Nations in 1955. Nothing came of the claim to Ulster, and during the 1950s and 60s the republic and Northern Ireland improved their economic relations.

The later decade also saw an all-time low in Irish population, 2.82 million in 1961. In the late 1960s the problem of Northern Ireland flared up again in bitter fighting between the Protestant majority and Catholic minority there, aggravated by the actions of the IRA, which was headquartered in the republic. In 1973, Erskine H. Childers succeeded De Valera as president of Ireland, and Liam Cosgrave , at the head of a Fine Gael–Labor coalition, replaced Jack Lynch , of Fianna Fáil, as prime minister. In the same year the republic joined the European Community (now the European Union ). Childers died in 1974 and was succeeded by Cearbhal O. Dalaigh. Lynch led Fianna Fáil back into office in 1977; in 1979 fellow party member Charles Haughey replaced Lynch as prime minister. In 1981 a Fine Gael–Labor coalition headed by Garret FitzGerald defeated Fianna Fáil on an economic platform. Although ousted in 1982, the coalition was governing again six months later.

Beginning in the late 1970s the republic's political situation was more fluid than it had been; there were several general elections and a variety of party schisms. In 1987, Haughey again became prime minister. As unemployment soared, especially among young people, outmigration increased, reaching a peak of 44,000 in 1989. During the 1990s, the economy grew significantly, buoyed by EU subsidies and new foreign investment. By the end of the decade, unemployment was below the EU average, although pockets of poverty persisted. In late 1994, after the IRA and Protestant militias agreed to a cease-fire, efforts were begun to negotiate a settlement of the the Northern Ireland issue. Despite some setbacks, agreements were reached in Apr., 1998, and approved by voters in both the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland in May. Women's issues, such as the government's strong antiabortion stance and the constitutional ban on divorce, also became a focus in the 1990s; a referendum legalizing divorce passed by a narrow margin in 1995.

In 1991, Ireland elected its first female president, Mary Robinson, and in 1997 Mary McAleese became its first president from Northern Ireland. In 1992, Albert Reynolds , of Fianna Fáil, replaced Charles Haughey as prime minister, and when the governing coalition collapsed, Reynolds successfully formed another. The Reynolds government fell in 1994, and Fine Gael leader John Bruton succeeded him, heading a Fine Gael–Labor coalition. Bertie Ahern became prime minister in 1997, heading a Fianna Fáil–Progressive Democrat coalition; his coalition was returned to office in 2002. Revelations in 2006 that Ahern had received loans from business acquaintances in 1993–94 while he was finance minister and had not yet repaid them sparked controversy. Ahern said his attempts to repay them had been refused; he did repay the loans soon after they were became public. In 2007 Ahern led his party to another victory at the polls, but Progressive Democrat losses led to the addition of the Green party to the governing coalition.

Investigation into Ahern's finances revealed he had received additional secret cash payments in the early 1990s, and in May, 2008, he resigned because the investigation was undermining his government. Deputy Prime Minister Brian Cowen succeeded Ahern as Fianna Fáil leader and prime minister. In June, 2008, Irish voters rejected the European Union's Lisbon Treaty amid concerns over the loss of Irish sovereignty. The Irish, who voted in a referendum because of conflicts between the treaty and the Irish constitution, were the only national electorate given a chance to vote on the treaty. A second vote on the Lisbon Treaty in Sept., 2009, following EU guarantees designed to allay Irish concerns, resulted in the treaty's approval. Ireland officially entered what became a prolonged recession in Sept., 2008, ending more than a decade of growth that had earned its economy the nickname "Celtic Tiger." By the end of 2008, the collapse of Ireland's booming property market threatened the Irish banking system, especially the Anglo Irish Bank, which was nationalized in early 2009.

In Sept., 2010, the total cost of Ireland's bailout of its banking system was estimated to be ultimately €40 billion, with roughly three fourths of that incurred due to the Anglo Irish Bank. In November the markets had forced Ireland to agree to an €85 billion international rescue package, and the country was forced to adopt additional austerity measures and radically overhaul its banks. The Green party remained in the governing coalition but called for an early election, and Cowen, who resigned as party leader (Jan., 2011), was forced to call for an early election when the Greens quit the government. In the February contest, Fine Gael and Labor placed first and second, with the former almost winning a majority. The two parties formed a coalition government in March, with Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny as prime minister. A government proposal to abolish the Senate was rejected in a referendum in Oct., 2013. The country has experienced slow growth since 2011, but unemployment, which went above 10% for the first time in a decade in 2009, peaked at 15% in 2012.

Unemployment has since declined to 12%, and the country emerged from financial rescue program and its restrictions at the end of 2013. Bibliography For bibliography, see under Ireland . Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA The Presidents of Ireland: From 1938 Until 2015 The Presidents of Ireland: From 1938 Until 2015 European History Expert By Robert Wilde The Republic of Ireland emerged from a protracted struggle with the British Government during the first half of the nineteenth century, leaving the landmass of 'Ireland' divided into two. Self-government initially returned to Southern Ireland in 1922 when the country became a 'Free State' in the British Commonwealth. Further campaigning followed, and in 1939 the Irish Free State adopted a new constitution, replaced the British monarch with an elected president and became 'Éire', 'Ireland'. Full independence - and complete withdrawal from the British Commonwealth - followed with the declaration of the Republic of Ireland in 1949. This is a chronological list of the presidents of Ireland; the dates given are the periods of said rule. 1.

Douglas Hyde 1938 – 1945 An experienced academic and professor rather than a politician, Hyde’s career was dominated by his desire to preserve and promote the Gaelic language. Such was the impact of his work that he was supported by all the main parties in the election which made him the first president of Ireland. continue reading below our video What are the Seven Wonders of the World 2. Sean Thomas O'Kelly 1945 – 1959 Unlike Hyde, O’Kelly was a long time politician who was involved in the early years of Sinn Féin, fought against the British in the Easter Rising, and worked in succeeding layers of government, including that of Eamon de Valeria, who would succeed him. O’Kelly was elected for the maximum two terms, and then retired. 3. Eámon de Valera 1959 – 1973 Perhaps the most famous Irish politician of the presidential era (and with good reason), Eamon de Valera was taoiseach / prime minister and then president of the sovereign, independent Ireland he did so much to create.

A president of Sinn Féin in 1917, founder of Fianna Fáil in 1926, he was also a respected academic. 4. Erskin Childers 1973 – 1974 Eskine Childers was the son of Robert Erskine Childers, an acclaimed writer and politician who was executed in the struggle for independence. After taking a job at a newspaper owned by De Valera’s family, he became a politician and served in many positions, eventually being elected president in 1973. However, he died the next year. 5. Cearbhall O'Dalaigh 1974 – 1976 A career in law saw O'Dalaigh become Ireland’s youngest attorney general, a Supreme Court judge and chief justice, as well as a judge in the burgeoning European system. He became president in 1974, but his fears over the nature of an Emergency Powers Bill, itself a reaction to IRA terrorism, led him to resign. 6.

Patrick Hillery 1976 – 1990 After several years of upheaval, Hillery bought stability to the presidency, and after saying he would only serve one term was asked back by the main parties to stand for a second. A medic, he transitioned into politics and he served in the government and the EEC. 7. Mary Robinson 1990 – 1997 Mary Robinson was an accomplished lawyer, a professor in her field, and had a record of promoting humans rights when she was elected president, and she became the most visible holder of the office to that date, touring and promoting Ireland’s interests. When her seven years were up she moved into a role as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and still campaigns on the issues. 8. Mary McAleese 1997 – 2011 The first president of Ireland to be born in Northern Ireland, McAleese was another lawyer who transitioned into politics, and who turned a controversial start into a career as one of the best regarded presidents of Ireland. 9.

Michael D Higgins 2011 - A published poet, respected academic and long-time Labour politician, Higgins was considered an incendiary figure early on but turned into something of a national treasure, winning the election in no small part due to his speaking ability. BBC News - Ireland timeline Ireland timeline A chronology of key events: 1914 - Outbreak of World War I delays implementation of new home rule legislation which would have restored the Dublin parliament following centuries of unrest over British dominion in Ireland. Many emigrants returned during the "Celtic Tiger" years Millions left Irish shores in the wake of the 1840s famine Population of Ireland bottomed out at 2.6m in 1961 Population reached 4m in 2003 Ireland passes population milestone 1916 - Nationalists stage Easter Rising, seizing the General Post Office in Dublin and proclaiming an independent Irish republic. The rising is crushed by the British who execute its leaders, including all seven signatories of the declaration of the republic. Irish public opinion is outraged.

1919 - Led by Eamonn De Valera, the nationalist movement Sinn Fein ('We Ourselves') sets up a Dublin assembly, the Dail Eireann, which again proclaims Irish independence. A guerrilla campaign by the Irish Republican Army, or IRA, against British forces begins with heavy casualties on both sides. 1920 - The British parliament passes the Government of Ireland Act establishing one parliament for the six counties of Northern Ireland, and another for the rest of Ireland. The Irish Free State 1921 - Anglo-Irish Treaty establishes the Free State, an independent dominion of the British crown with full internal self-government rights, partitioned from Northern Ireland which remains part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 'Long fellow' Eamon de Valera pressed for a republic 1922 - The Dublin parliament ratifies the treaty despite the opposition of De Valera and others. Civil war breaks out and hundreds are killed. 1923 - Irish Free State joins the League of Nations. 1927 - De Valera enters parliament at the head of the new Fianna Fail party.

1932 - De Valera becomes head of government after previous administration fails to deal with economic difficulties. De Valera introduces various measures to eliminate British influence in the Irish Free State. From Eire to Republic of Ireland 1937 - New elections. The voters return de Valera and also approve a new constitution which abolishes the Irish Free State and proclaims Eire (Gaelic for Ireland) as a sovereign, independent, democratic state. 1938 - Douglas Hyde becomes first president of Eire. De Valera is prime minister. 1939 - Outbreak of World War II. Eire remains neutral, but many Irish citizens join the Allied forces. Literary pioneer James Joyce's works are seen as revolutionary 2004: Fans descend on Joyce's Dublin 1948 - De Valera loses the election. Eire is suffering economic difficulties. John Costello becomes prime minister. Dublin parliament passes the Republic of Ireland bill. 1949 - On Easter Monday, the anniversary of the 1916 uprising, Eire becomes the Republic of Ireland. Ireland leaves the British Commonwealth. 1955 - Ireland joins the United Nations.

It declines to join NATO because Northern Ireland is part of United Kingdom. 1957 - De Valera becomes prime minister again. He states in public that the unity of Ireland cannot be achieved by force. 1959 - De Valera becomes president of the Republic of Ireland. 1969 to 1998 - Conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles, which occasionally spilled over into Ireland. Becoming a modern society 1973 - Ireland joins the European Economic Community. Violence in Northern Ireland intensifies. The IRA is active again, as are unionist paramilitary groups. Relations between Ireland and Britain are strained. Hurling, the national sport BBC Sport: Gaelic Games Early 1980s - Ireland faces severe economic problems, with rising debt and unemployment. Three elections are held in the space of less than two years as politicians grapple with the difficulties. 1985 - The Anglo-Irish Agreement is signed. It gives the Republic of Ireland a consultative role in the government of Northern Ireland. 1990 - Mary Robinson becomes first woman president of Ireland. 1991 - Ireland signs the Treaty on European Union at Maastricht.

Ireland receives a guarantee that its strict abortion law will not be affected. 1992 - Irish voters approve a loosening of the abortion law. Access to information is guaranteed, and travel abroad to have an abortion is permitted. Peace process 1993 - The Downing Street Declaration by the Irish and British prime ministers offers talks on future peace in Northern Ireland to all parties if violence is renounced. 1997 - Divorce becomes legal in Ireland under certain circumstances. The law is opposed by the Roman Catholic church. U2: From pub to stadium, music permeates Irish life BBC Music: U2 1998 - The Good Friday Agreement on a political settlement for Northern Ireland is approved by voters in referendums in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland. 2001 June - Irish voters reject the Nice Treaty in a referendum. The treaty must be approved by all 15 EU member-states before the EU can expand to include a dozen applicant countries from eastern Europe. 2002 January - Euro replaces the punt. 2002 March - Small majority of voters rejects government attempt to tighten already strict anti-abortion laws in constitutional referendum.

Ahern re-elected 2002 May - Voters re-elect Fianna Fail's Bertie Ahern as prime minister (taoiseach) in a continuing coalition with the Progressive Democrats. Fine Gael, the main opposition party, loses over a third of its seats in parliament. 2002 October - Irish voters endorse Nice Treaty by comfortable margin in second referendum. The "Celtic Tiger" years saw an unprecedented surge in immigration 2004 1 May - Ireland, as holder of the EU presidency, hosts ceremonies to welcome 10 new member states. 2005 June - Irish is officially recognised as a working language by the European Union. 2006 November - Parliamentary report says British security services colluded in attacks and killings in Ireland in the 1970s. 2006 December - Government launches a 20-year strategy to create a bilingual, Irish and English-speaking society. 2007 May - Fianna Fail emerges as the largest party in parliamentary elections, but fails to win an overall majority. 2007 June - Bertie Ahern forms a coalition with the Progressive Democrats, several independents and the Greens, who enter government for the first time.

Mr Ahern becomes the first taoiseach to win a third term in office since Eamon De Valera. Ireland gets its first black mayor when Nigerian-born Rotimi Adebari is elected the mayor of Portlaoise. Cowen becomes taoiseach 2008 May - Bertie Ahern steps down as taoiseach following a controversy over his financial affairs. He is succeeded by his deputy, Brian Cowen. 2008 June - Irish voters reject the EU's Lisbon Treaty in a referendum. 2008 October - Ireland becomes first country in western Europe to officially fall into recession in wake of global financial crisis. 2009 February - Unemployment rate reaches 11% - the highest since 1996. Some 100,000 people take part in Dublin protest rally against government's handling of economic crisis. Financial crisis hits 2009 March - Ireland loses its AAA debt rating as public finances deteriorate amid a deep recession. 2009 April - The government unveils its second budget in six months to deal with a rapidly contracting economy.

2009 October - Ireland votes in favour of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty in a new referendum, having rejected it in a vote a year earlier. 2009 November - A damning report criticises the Irish Catholic Church hierarchy for its handling of allegations of child abuse against 46 priests. 2010 September - The cost of bailing out Ireland's stricken banking system rises to 45bn euro (£39bn), pushing the country's budget deficit up to around a third of GDP. EU bailout 2010 November - The government agrees an 85bn euro rescue package with the EU and the IMF, in a bid to tackle a huge hole in Ireland's public finance. As part of the package, the government drafts an austerity programme entailing four years of tax rises and spending cuts. 2011 January - Parliament approves finance bill required as condition of EU/IMF bailout. 2011 February - Taoiseach Brian Cowen dissolves parliament and calls early election. Opposition Fine Gael wins most seats but falls short of an overall majority and begins coalition talks. 2011 March - New government, headed by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, takes office.

Mr Kenny pledges to renegotiate terms of EU/IMF bailout. 2011 July - Ratings agency Moody's downgrades Ireland's debt rating to junk status. Vatican recalls its ambassador to Ireland amid tension over the issue of child abuse by priests. 2011 October - Michael D Higgins is elected president. Voters in referendum reject proposed constitutional changes relating to parliamentary inquiries and pay for judges. 2012 March - Official figures show that Ireland fell back into recession in last three months of 2011, following return to growth for first time since 2007. Bookmark with: President de Valera | Article about President de Valera by The Free Dictionary President de Valera | Article about President de Valera by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Valera, Eamon de: see De Valera, Eamon De Valera, Eamon , 1882–1975, Irish statesman, b. New York City. He was taken as a child to Ireland. As a young man he joined the movement advocating physical force to achieve Irish independence and took part in the Easter Rebellion of 1916. ..... Click the link for more information. .

De Valera, Eamon (ā`mən dĕ vəlâr`ə), 1882–1975, Irish statesman, b. New York City. He was taken as a child to Ireland. As a young man he joined the movement advocating physical force to achieve Irish independence and took part in the Easter Rebellion of 1916. He was sentenced to life imprisonment (escaping execution because he was a U.S. citizen) but was released under a general amnesty in 1917. Elected that same year a member of Parliament and president of Sinn Féin Sinn Féin [Irish,=we, ourselves], Irish nationalist movement. It had its roots in the Irish cultural revival at the end of the 19th cent. and the growing nationalist disenchantment with the constitutional Home Rule movement. ..... Click the link for more information. , De Valera was arrested again in May, 1918. However, he escaped from prison (Feb., 1919) and went to the United States, where he raised funds for Irish independence.

In the meantime he had been elected president of Ireland by the Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann [Irish,=diet of Ireland], the popular representative body of the Oireachtas, or National Parliament, of the Republic of Ireland. The second, smaller chamber, the Saenad Éireann, or Senate, has very limited powers, and the executive, as ..... Click the link for more information. , the revolutionary parliament that had declared the country independent. In 1920, when he returned to Ireland, the country was in a state of virtual war against British rule. In 1921 the British government opened the negotiations that led to the establishment of the Irish Free State. De Valera, however, repudiated the final treaty because it excluded Northern Ireland and required Irish officeholders to swear allegiance to the British crown. He resigned from the Dáil in Jan., 1922. Nominal leader of the republican intransigents, De Valera greatly deplored the period of civil war that followed.

He maintained his opposition to the government, however, and did not enter the Dáil with his party, Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil , Irish political party, organized in 1926 by opponents of the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 establishing the Irish Free State and setting up Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom. ..... Click the link for more information. , until 1927. In the general election of 1932 his party gained control of the Dáil, and De Valera became head of the government. He immediately abolished the oath of allegiance and refused to pay land annuities to Britain. A tariff war followed that was not ended until 1938. In 1937, De Valera introduced a new constitution declaring Ireland a fully sovereign state. He kept Ireland neutral throughout World War II, refusing to let the British use southern Irish ports and vigorously protesting Allied military activity in Northern Ireland. Fianna Fáil was defeated in the election of 1948, but De Valera returned as prime minister with independent support (1951–54) and with an absolute majority (1957–59).

Hampered by failing vision, in 1959 he moved to the less demanding office of president of the republic, to which he was reelected in 1966. He retired in 1973. Bibliography See his speeches edited by M. Moynihan (1980); biographies by F. P. Longford and T. P. O'Neill (1971), O. Edwards (1988); C. Younger, A State of Disunion (1972); J. O'Carroll and J. Murphy ed., De Valera and His Times (1986). De Valera, Eamon Born Oct. 14, 1882, in New York. Irish politician and statesman. One of the leaders of the Irish Uprising of 1916. In 1917, De Valera headed the Sinn Fein and the patriotic military organization the Irish Volunteers. From 1919 to 1922 he was president and head of the government that won national independence for Ireland.

During the civil war (1922-23) he commanded the republican troops against the supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, under which Northern Ireland remained under British rule and the remainder of the country was proclaimed a British dominion. In 1927, after breaking with the Sinn Fein, De Valera entered the parliament of the dominion as a candidate of the Fianna Fail, which he had founded in 1926. As head of the Irish government and foreign minister from 1932 to 1948, De Valera pursued policies that promoted economic development and reduced Irish dependence on British monopolies. At the same time, his policies tended to suppress democratic freedoms within the country. During World War II the De Valera government proclaimed its neutrality. De Valera was prime minister of the Irish Republic from 1951 to 1954 and from 1957 to 1959. His policies were aimed at actively drawing foreign capital into the national economy and at the same time remaining nonaligned with military-political blocs. De Valera was president of the Irish Republic between 1959 and 1973.

A. G. B OTOV Ireland Time Line Chronological Timetable of Events - Worldatlas.com (1828) Catholic emancipation act passed (1838) Whiskey production reduced (1845-1849) Great Potato Famine caused great hardship, thousands of deaths, and forced mass-immigration to the United States (1867) Thousands of Irish-Americans returned home to fight for Irish Republican Brotherhood (1879-82) Land War for the reform of tenancy laws (1892) Irish Home Rule bill defeated, again 1900s (1904) Dublin's Abbey Theater opened (1912) Titanic, built in Belfast, sunk (1916 Nationalists staged Easter Rising, proclaimed an independent Irish Republic. All of their leaders were executed by the British. (1919) Nationalists, led by Eamonn De Valera, established Dublin assembly. Guerrilla war began between British forces and the Irish Republican Army (1920) British parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act establishing one parliament for the six counties of Northern Ireland, and another for the rest of Ireland.

(1921) Anglo-Irish Treaty signed. Northern Ireland partitioned off to remain part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1922) The Dublin parliament accepted the Anglo-Irish Treaty despite Nationalist opposition. Subsequently civil war broke out and hundreds were killed (1923) Irish Free State joined League of Nations (1932) Eamonn De Valera headed the Irish Free State government (1937) Voters approved a new constitution, abolished the Irish Free State, and proclaimed Ireland (Eire) as a sovereign, independent, democratic state, free from British control (1938) Douglas Hyde elected president of Eire (1949) On Easter Monday, Eire became Republic of Ireland, totally independent from Britain (1956) IRA launched terrorism campaign (1957) Republic of Ireland joined United Nations (1959) De Valera elected president (1963) John F.

Kennedy was first American President to visit Ireland (1972) Bloody Sunday, as British troops shot and killed 13 demonstrators (1973) The Republic joined European Economic Community, (EU); Northern Ireland violence intensified (1979) Pope John Paul II visited Ireland (1987) IRA bomb exploded during Remembrance day parade (1988) Dublin celebrated its millennium (1990) Mary Robinson elected president (1993) Downing Street Declaration signed (1998) Good Friday Agreement on a political settlement for Northern Ireland approved by voters 2000s (2002) Irish punt note replaced by Euro (2002) Bertie Ahern elected prime minister (2004) Ireland held EU presidency (2005) IRA announced an end to armed campaign (2006) Rioting took place in Dublin when protestors attacked 'Love Ulster' parade; Dublin airport evacuated twice in one week over bomb scares (2007) Emergency workers rescued 110 children swept out to sea (2008) Irish voters rejected EU treaty; Prime Minister Bernie Ahern resigned following allegations of receipt of secret payments (200

9) Rugby team won first Grand Slam victory in 61 years; Real IRA claimed responsibility for attack at Massareene army base, two soldiers killed; Irish voters approved EU referendum (2010) Ash from eruptions of volcano beneath Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland caused closure of airports; Irish debt crisis rocked financial markets; requested bail-out from EU and IMF (2011) Leaders of Irish Republic's two major parliamentary parties agreed to form new coalition government See Also Eamon De Valera Facts LINK / CITE ADD TO WORD LIST Eamon De Valera Facts Eamon De Valera Quotes The Irish revolutionary leader and statesman Eamon De Valera (1882-1975) served as prime minister and later president of Ireland (1959-1973).

Eamon De Valera was born in New York City on October 14, 1882. In 1885, after the death of his Spanish father, he was sent to live with his Irish mother's family in Country Limerick. He graduated from the Royal University of Ireland in 1904 and became a mathematics teacher. De Valera was an ardent supporter of the Irish language revival movement and also became a member of Sinn Fein and the Irish Volunteers. After the failure of the 1916 insurrection, he became the senior surviving rebel leader when his death sentence was commuted because of his American birth. Released by the British government in 1917, he was acclaimed in Ireland as the leader of the revolutionary independence movement. He became president of the Irish Republic established by the separatists after their victory in the election of December, 1918. In June, 1919, De Valera traveled to the United States, where he won much sympathy and financial support for the Irish cause. He returned to Ireland in December, 1920, as the guerrilla war with Britain was moving into its final phase.

De Valera accepted British proposals for a truce in July, 1921, and sent a delegation to London to negotiate a peace settlement. The British refused to accept his compromise plan for an Irish republic in external association with the British Empire and offered instead dominion status for Ireland, with the right of exclusion for loyalist Northern Ireland. In December, 1921, the Irish delegates accepted these terms, believing them to be the best obtainable without further war. De Valera, however, denounced the treaty as a betrayal of the republic which would mean continued subjection to Britain. Despite his protests the Republican Parliament, Dail Eireann, approved the treaty by a small majority in January, 1922. Continued dispute over the settlement led to civil war in June, 1922, and supporters of the new Irish Free State defeated the Republicans in May, 1923. Prime Minister After the civil war De Valera led the Republican opposition to the pro-treaty government of William T. Cosgrave. In 1926 he broke with the extreme Republicans and founded a constitutional opposition party, Fianna Fail, which entered the Dail in 1927.

Fianna Fail won the 1932 election, and De Valera formed a government which lasted for 16 years. As prime minister, he removed the last remaining restrictions on Irish sovereignty imposed by the treaty. His refusal to continue payment of land-purchase annuities to Britain led to an economic war between the two countries, which enabled him to pursue plans to make Ireland more self-sufficient economically. His government also extended social services, suppressed extremist threats to the state, and introduced a constitution in 1937 which made the Free State a republic in all but name. In 1938 agreements made with Britain ended the economic war and British occupation of Irish naval bases retained under the treaty. De Valera was unable, however, to end the partition of Ireland. De Valera had been a strong supporter of collective security through the League of Nations, but he maintained a policy of neutrality, with overwhelming popular support, throughout World War II. In the postwar period Fianna Fail alternated in power with two interparty governments, the first of which formally established the Irish Republic in 1949.

Returned to office with a decisive majority in 1957, De Valera retired from active politics in 1959, when he was elected president of the republic. He was reelected in 1966, the fiftieth anniversary of his entry into Irish political life. Failing eyesight troubled him from the 1930s onward and left him almost blind before his retirement from active politics in 1973. Concurrently, he held the post of Chancellor of the National University of Ireland from 1921 until 1975. He died on August 30, 1975. The wisdom of De Valera's policies has been widely disputed but not his unequaled impact on Irish life in the twentieth century. The charismatic appeal of "Dev" was firmly based on his understanding of the outlook and way of life of a large section of the Irish people and on his fellow citizens' great respect for his ability, austere dignity, and idealism. Further Reading on Eamon De Valera The most complete biography is Eamon de Valera (1970) by the Earl of Longford and Thomas P.

O'Neill, written with the full cooperation of the subject. Background histories of Ireland include Timothy Patrick Coogan, Ireland since the Rising (1966); Desmond Williams, ed., The Irish Struggle, 1916-1926 (1966); and T. W. Moody and F. K. Martin, eds., The Course of Irish History (1967). A feature film released by Warner Bros. in 1996, Michael Collins, covers early twentieth century Irish political history and includes a character representing De Valera. Eamon DeValera | Article about Eamon DeValera by The Free Dictionary Eamon DeValera | Article about Eamon DeValera by The Free Dictionary Related to Eamon DeValera: Eamon de Valera Valera, Eamon de: see De Valera, Eamon De Valera, Eamon , 1882–1975, Irish statesman, b. New York City. He was taken as a child to Ireland. As a young man he joined the movement advocating physical force to achieve Irish independence and took part in the Easter Rebellion of 1916. ..... Click the link for more information. .

De Valera, Eamon (ā`mən dĕ vəlâr`ə), 1882–1975, Irish statesman, b. New York City. He was taken as a child to Ireland. As a young man he joined the movement advocating physical force to achieve Irish independence and took part in the Easter Rebellion of 1916. He was sentenced to life imprisonment (escaping execution because he was a U.S. citizen) but was released under a general amnesty in 1917. Elected that same year a member of Parliament and president of Sinn Féin Sinn Féin [Irish,=we, ourselves], Irish nationalist movement. It had its roots in the Irish cultural revival at the end of the 19th cent. and the growing nationalist disenchantment with the constitutional Home Rule movement. ..... Click the link for more information. , De Valera was arrested again in May, 1918. However, he escaped from prison (Feb., 1919) and went to the United States, where he raised funds for Irish independence.

In the meantime he had been elected president of Ireland by the Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann [Irish,=diet of Ireland], the popular representative body of the Oireachtas, or National Parliament, of the Republic of Ireland. The second, smaller chamber, the Saenad Éireann, or Senate, has very limited powers, and the executive, as ..... Click the link for more information. , the revolutionary parliament that had declared the country independent. In 1920, when he returned to Ireland, the country was in a state of virtual war against British rule. In 1921 the British government opened the negotiations that led to the establishment of the Irish Free State. De Valera, however, repudiated the final treaty because it excluded Northern Ireland and required Irish officeholders to swear allegiance to the British crown. He resigned from the Dáil in Jan., 1922. Nominal leader of the republican intransigents, De Valera greatly deplored the period of civil war that followed.

He maintained his opposition to the government, however, and did not enter the Dáil with his party, Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil , Irish political party, organized in 1926 by opponents of the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 establishing the Irish Free State and setting up Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom. ..... Click the link for more information. , until 1927. In the general election of 1932 his party gained control of the Dáil, and De Valera became head of the government. He immediately abolished the oath of allegiance and refused to pay land annuities to Britain. A tariff war followed that was not ended until 1938. In 1937, De Valera introduced a new constitution declaring Ireland a fully sovereign state. He kept Ireland neutral throughout World War II, refusing to let the British use southern Irish ports and vigorously protesting Allied military activity in Northern Ireland. Fianna Fáil was defeated in the election of 1948, but De Valera returned as prime minister with independent support (1951–54) and with an absolute majority (1957–59).

Hampered by failing vision, in 1959 he moved to the less demanding office of president of the republic, to which he was reelected in 1966. He retired in 1973. Bibliography See his speeches edited by M. Moynihan (1980); biographies by F. P. Longford and T. P. O'Neill (1971), O. Edwards (1988); C. Younger, A State of Disunion (1972); J. O'Carroll and J. Murphy ed., De Valera and His Times (1986). De Valera, Eamon Born Oct. 14, 1882, in New York. Irish politician and statesman. One of the leaders of the Irish Uprising of 1916. In 1917, De Valera headed the Sinn Fein and the patriotic military organization the Irish Volunteers. From 1919 to 1922 he was president and head of the government that won national independence for Ireland.

During the civil war (1922-23) he commanded the republican troops against the supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, under which Northern Ireland remained under British rule and the remainder of the country was proclaimed a British dominion. In 1927, after breaking with the Sinn Fein, De Valera entered the parliament of the dominion as a candidate of the Fianna Fail, which he had founded in 1926. As head of the Irish government and foreign minister from 1932 to 1948, De Valera pursued policies that promoted economic development and reduced Irish dependence on British monopolies. At the same time, his policies tended to suppress democratic freedoms within the country. During World War II the De Valera government proclaimed its neutrality. De Valera was prime minister of the Irish Republic from 1951 to 1954 and from 1957 to 1959. His policies were aimed at actively drawing foreign capital into the national economy and at the same time remaining nonaligned with military-political blocs. De Valera was president of the Irish Republic between 1959 and 1973.

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Question: Who was the President of the Republic of Ireland between 1959 and 1973?
Answer: Eamon de Valera