THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 13, 1937.
Ireland's Unhappy Warrior
-
RELAND laughed. One of their "Do what you like with me, but better than the other leaders, that getting a little. weary of fighting.
Senators, to relieve the tedium spare my men."
"What he really said the Irish Republican army needed Lloyd George sent the telegram- of a debate on migratory birds, had was, "You may do what you like funds. There were lots of wild lads of invitation, which concluded with and "We cannot admit you are a sover- entered a mock-solemn appeal to with me, but I should like to make who could remain in Ireland
De Valera countered protect the phoenix-"one of the proper arrangements for my so throw hand grenades. But the hand eign state."
grenades had to be paid for. There with, "We cannot meet you save as oldest Irish fowl," he asserted. But diers." De Valera did not murmur, “I wish Legend won. From then on De was no little political shrewdness a sovereign state." Lloyd George. I'd said that.” It is doubtful if Valera was known as the hero of about De Valera's trip. The Irish, sent another invitation," "We have he understood the joke. He merely the Easter uprising. All other lea- he well knew, take an enormous stated our position." De Valera sc- adjusted his formidable hora- ders but De Valera were executed, pride in the exploits of their sons cepted with "We have stated our rimmed spectacles,
the and when he was reprieved, the in America. And when son position.” That's the way it was ignored
be- in Westminster when the two Celts laughter and released a flood of Irish believed, piously that the Bri- makes good and returns,
met. Their metallic oratory on the budget. tish spared him for his peerless comes the white-headed boy.
progress in negotia- tion, the Welshman wailed, Was Ireland approved. Perhaps the courage. As a matter of fact, Bri-
It was characteristic of De impossible, "We've talked a week Irish believe that the safest Parlia- tish mercy was prompted by fear
Valera that he almost spoiled the and by this time, De Valera hasn't
kind
211
the
he
By Frank C. Hanighen
of
2
This was a great blow to De Valera's hopes. He refused to sup- port the peace treaty. He likewise "refused actively to join the Repub- licans, who engaged in bloody civil war with the Free State au-
ment to have is a dull Parliament of American opinion; De Valera, show on his arrival in New York. got any farther than Cromwell." Perhaps they like bad oratory ra- born of a Spanish father and ther than none at all. At any rate. Irish mother in New York City, He was hailed as "President of the De Valera said, "If Lloyd George this traditionally happy-go-lucky, was technically an American citizen. Irish Republic." He went to great only had some imagination." De Jail to which he was then sent lengths to explain to reporters that Valera withdrew from the parleys witty, improvident people has chosen the most extraordinary
of only nourished the legend. Escape he was not "President of the Re and mercurial Michael Collins had
better. cau- from 'jail was even
The public," but simply "President leader.
to finish the deal-make the peace, De Valera is slow, tious, thrifty; he would rather talk cold grey walls of Lincoln prison the Executive Council," a position renounce the dream of a republic about the budget than the woes of in England did not hold him long, quite different from the American and take the next best thing,
almost although his own caution and lack presidency. But the stubborn over Free State within the British Em- Irish history. He has an German passion for detail and of imagination prevented him from simplification of American journa- pire. figures: his favourite sport is play- contributing any material assistance lists triumphed and he finally gave ing with a slide-rule. He rarely. smiles; hence the perpetual under- taker's mien of the photographs. He has no more sense of humour than a Kerry donkey. In short, he is the least typical of Irishmen. Yet to one of the most romantic jail- up such hair-splitting. His speeches thorities. But his sympathies were deliveries in history. A compara- were a welcome of surprising re- with the latter, even when strain- Ireland adores this man who is so
tively minor rebel, Sean Milroy, had lief, because of their sobriety and ed by the inevitable tragedies. singularly its opposite.
of Michael Collins, who had played on Why it does, is a long story. The the happy idea. While the prison detail, after so many decades
Irish oratory.. The the floor with De Valera's children adoration got off to a good start chaplain was saying mass, the re flamboyant back in 1916, when De Valera dis- bels got an impression of his pass- Irish in the United States liked when he was in America, was kill- Kevin O'Hig- tinguished himself in the mad, ro- key, which he had left in the sa- this strange ugly duckling and deed by Republicans.
The problem, then, was to livered to him the astounding sum gins, Free State Minister, had the mantic Easter uprising. He had cristy.
confederates ontside. of $5,000,000.
Republican, Rory O'Connor, execut- something to live down, then: fail- get this to
Post-Milroy drew a humorous postcard When he returned to Ireland ed. O'Connor had been best man ure in examination for a
drunken peace was drawing near, principal at O'Higgins' wedding. De Valera, Office job because his Gaelic was showing on one side
been who still felt much affection for his bad; and a none too brilliant career man trying to find the keyhole of ly because the English had
in his door, captioned, "Christmas, doing a little mathematics them- old comrade. O'Higgins, was as a mathematics instructor small colleges. Furthermore, and 1917-I can't get in" and on the selves. Formerly they made a prisoned by the latter. One Sun- this has been forgotten by most other side, a prisoner struggling rather handsome profit out of Ire- day on the way to church, O'Hig- people, he was one of a few Sinn with an enormous key (a tracing of land, but now they saw that the gins was assassinated.· Fein leaders who vigorously oppos- the original) captioned, "Christ cost of maintaining a large army These were the events that took in mas, 1918-I can't get out." This in a country which refused to pay the spring out of De Valera's youth- ed the uprising. He believed caution and waiting.
card easily passed the prison cen- taxes was affecting their budget. ful stride and widened the lines in sor, who smiled indulgently at Irish Also, the Irish themselves were, his stern face.
humour.
a
Yet, when the majority of Sinn Feiners voted for it, he joined up and helped it become one of the world's most heroic insurrections, the hint and conceived the plan for
Michael Collins received it, took
It took courage for a few thousand rescuing his friends. Several keys
* im-
men to declare an Irish republic in were baked in cakes and sent to the NEW GAS FIRE SCHEME
in
the midst of an Empire bristling prisoners without their being able with four million well-armed troops to get one that fit, until finally a and to seize a city under the very key with a file was got to them via Some weeks mouths of British naval guns. As the same method Yeats sang, "You'd think some wo later Valera reached Dublin where man's yellow hair had maddened a tremendous ovation waited the
For they uncrowned king of Ireland" every mother's son."
Michael Collins had provided the hoped for no better success than to die behind the barricades, and they build-up: The Sim Feiners were House, "had expected no worse failure than howling outside Mansion to be captured and stood against waiting for an inspiring message from their hero. Inside Collins the wall.
The rebels, it will be remember was frantic De Valera, of course, ed, had their headquarters in the could not appear; he was still in Post Office."At last De Valera hiding. However, it was necessary got
without examination," his that he make some statement for was the crowd. But De Valera, peer- colleagues anickered That hardly accurate. De Valera served ing myopically through his specta- as commandant in quite another cles, could think of nothing to ssy; section of Dublin, with beadquarters the situation frightened him. A in Boland's Flour Mill Once he few minutes later Colling appeared established himself there he stay on the balcony and read from ed. British bullets punctured the piece of paper, "I have escaped flourbags and the rebels, white as from Lincoln prison to do the coun- ghosts from the flying four pár- try's work and I am doing ticles, fired bravely back It is De Eamonn De Valera." The Sian Collins was Valera's record that his position was Feiners went wild never stormed by the enemy and jubilant and proud For he had that after a week of fighting when written the message himself.
The stage was now set for De the Post Office surrendered, Boland's Mill still held out
came Valera. He could stay on in Ire
land, an unseen hero,
capitulation.
Then
it.
While Pearse and Connolly, who, safe from capture, immune were poets, gave up their arms with informers. Yet he took the first epigrams and heroic speeches, De boat to New York. Valera turned himself over to
with all the ca
of a teacher of Buch
cording to legend, his words wer
The
reason. was
have the
He
ship
even
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