Cathal Brugha Irish revolutionary and politician, known for the Easter Rising Date of Birth: 18.07.1874 Country: Ireland

1. Early Life and Political Beginnings
2. The Easter Rising
3. The Irish War of Independence
4. The Irish Free State
5. Conflict within the IRA

Early Life and Political Beginnings

Éamon de Valera was an Irish revolutionary and politician who played a pivotal role in Ireland's fight for independence. Born in New York City in 1882, he studied mathematics and Irish at Blackrock College in County Dublin.

The Easter Rising

In 1913, de Valera joined the Irish Volunteers, a paramilitary organization dedicated to securing Irish independence. He was subsequently elected a member of the Provisional Committee of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), a secret society that advocated for a republican Ireland. During the Easter Rising of 1916, de Valera commanded a battalion of Volunteers at Boland's Mill.

The Irish War of Independence

After the Easter Rising, de Valera was imprisoned by the British. Upon his release in 1917, he helped to reorganize the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army into the Irish Republican Army (IRA), serving as its first Chief of Staff. He also proposed a draft constitution for a republic, which was unanimously adopted by Sinn Féin, a political party he had joined.

The Irish Free State

In 1918, de Valera was elected to the British Parliament as MP for County Waterford. In January 1919, elected Sinn Féin MPs declared the establishment of an Irish Parliament, the First Dáil Éireann, which convened in the Mansion House in Dublin. In the absence of Éamon de Valera and Arthur Griffith, de Valera chaired the parliament's first meeting on January 21st.

Conflict within the IRA

De Valera had a deep-seated rivalry with Michael Collins, who, despite being his subordinate in the IRA, was a leading figure in the IRB. De Valera saw the IRB as a threat to the fledgling republic and introduced an oath for Volunteers to swear allegiance to the parliament. He also advocated for the abandonment of guerrilla warfare in favor of open warfare, an approach opposed by much of the leadership, including Collins.