Judging Dev: A Reassessment of the Life and Legacy of Eamon de Valera Book

"Of course, I wrote most of the Constitution myself. I remember hesitating for a long time over the American Presidential system. But it wouldn't have done - we were too trained in English democracy to sit down under a dictatorship, which is what the American system really is - Ministers not responsible to parliament - that would never do. Besides, I wanted to prepare a nice quiet job without too much work for my old age.... Still, I admit I was tempted - look at the way de Gaulle rules France...absolute rule...very efficient." - Eamon de Valera, Churchill College Cambridge Archives, Gilchrist Papers *** Eamon de Valera has often been characterized as a stern, unbending, devious, and divisive Irish politician. But how valid is this caricature? In Judging Dev, author Diarmaid Ferriter re-examines de Valera's life and legacy. The book contains an in-depth analysis of the impact of de Valera and includes many previously unpublished key letters, documents, and photographs from the National Archives of Ireland and the University College Dublin, School of History and Archives to chronicle the extraordinary career of the most significant politician of modern Irish history and his role in the history of the Irish state.