Judging Dev

"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 The book contains an in-depth analysis of the impact of de Valera and includes many previously unpublished key letters, documents, and photographs from the Nationa