INFULENCE

As a young boy Eamon deValera was bombarded with stories about the Irish fight for freedom. Stories of English persecution over the Irish people were a familiar sound in his childhood. DeValera developed a certain interest in Irish heroes and the present day struggle that was happening at the time.

In 1908 deValera joined the Gaelic League. The organisation was set purposely with the intention to revive the Irish language and Irish culture. Irish nationalism was something that deValera started to feel really strong about. The need for Irish recognition of independence was something that deValera strived to work for, even throughout the rest of his career. He began to get heavily involved in work for this organisation. As Tim Pat Coogan stated in his biography upon deValera's life, "Everything else of importance which followed flowed from that decision: his marriage, his involvement in revolution and, later, his political career".