- PRESIDENTS -
EAMON DE VALERA
Ireland at the age of two and a half years. In 1910 he married
Sin?ad N?
Fhlannag?in.A teacher and university lecturer, he joined the
Irish Volunteers when they were founded in 1913. As a Commandant
he
took part in the 1916 Irish National Uprising. He was sentenced
to death,
the sentence being commuted to penal servitude for life. He
was released
on General Amnesty in 1917 He was elected Sinn F?in M.P. for
East Clare
in 1917 and re-elected as parliamentary representative for Clare
at
subsequent General Elections until his election as President
in 1959.
He founded the Fianna F?il Party in 1926 and from 1932 - 37
he was
President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State
and Minister for
External Affairs. He was President of Council of the League
of Nations at
its 68th and Special Sessions, September and October 1932 and
President
of the Assembly of the League of Nations, 1938.
Following enactment by the people of the Constitution, Eamon
De Valera
became Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and Minister for External
Affairs from
1937 - 48. He was Taoiseach again from 1951 - 54, 1957 - 59.
On 25
June, 1959 he was inaugurated as President of Ireland.
He died on 29 August 1975.
ERSKINE CHILDERS
He was born in London on 11 December, 1905. After living in
England and
France he came to Dublin in 1931 to become Advertisement Manager
of
the newly launched Irish Press newspaper. From 1936 - 44 he
was
Secretary of the Federation of Irish Manufacturers. He was elected
to D?il
?ireann in 1938. From 1944 - 48 he served as a Junior Minister
and from
1951 - 54 and 1957 - 73 he held successive ministerial appointments
in a
number of government departments. He also served as T?naiste
(Deputy
Prime Minister) 1969 - 73. Erskine Childers married Ruth Dow
in 1925.
After her death he was married in 1952 to Rita Dudley.
On 25 June, 1973 he was inaugurated as the fourth President of Ireland.
He died in office on 17 November, 1974.
CEARBHALL O DALAIGH
Born on 12 February, 1911, he was a barrister by profession.
He was
Attorney General of Ireland from 1946 - 48 and from 1951 - 53.
In 1953
he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court.
He served as Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court
from 1961
- 73 before being appointed a Judge of the Court of Justice
of the European
Communities in 1973.He became President of Ireland on 19 December,
1974 and resigned from office on 22 October 1976.
He died on 21 March, 1978.
PATRICK J HILLERY
He was born on 2 May, 1923, in Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare and
qualified
as a medical doctor. He married Mary Beatrice Finnegan in 1955.
In 1951 Dr. Hillery was elected to D?il ?ireann for the constituency
of Clare
and he received his first Government appointment as Minister
for Education
in 1959. He subsequently served in a number of ministerial
posts (Industry and
Commerce, Labour and Foreign Affairs) prior to his appointment
in 1973 as
Vice President of the then Commission of the European Communities,
with
special responsibility for Social Affairs. He served as Commissioner
until 1976,
when he was inaugurated as President of Ireland on 3 December,
1976.
SEAN T O CEALLAIGH
Born in 1882, he was one of the founders of Sinn F?in and launched
and edited
the "Nation", a weekly review. From 1906 - 24 he
was an Alderman of Dublin
Corporation. In 1918 he was elected to D?il ?ireann and continued
to be elected
until 1945. He was the Speaker of the First D?il ?ireann, 1919-21.
He was Vice President of the Executive Council (the Government)
of the Irish
Free State from 1932-38; Minister for Local Government and
Public Health
1932-1939; T?naiste (Deputy Head of Government) 1938-1945 and
Minister
for Finance 1939-1945.
He became the second President of Ireland on 25 June, 1945
He died on 23 November, 1966.
MARY ROBINSON
Born on 21 May, 1944, in Ballina, County Mayo, Mary Robinson
is a barrister
by profession and was appointed Reid Professor of Criminal
Law in Trinity
College Dublin when she was 25 years of age. With her husband,
Nicholas
(married 1970) she founded the Irish Centre for European Law
in 1988.
Elected as a representative of the University of Dublin, she
was a member of
Seanad ?ireann (Upper House of Parliament) 1969 -89. She served
on the
following parliamentary committees:- Joint Committee on EC
Secondary
Legislation 1973 - 89 and Chairman of its Social Affairs Sub-Committee
1977
- 87, Chairman of its Legal Affairs Committee 1987 - 89; Joint
Committee on
Marital Breakdown 1983 - 85. She was a member of Dublin City
Council 1979
- 83. On 3 December, 1990, Mary Robinson was inaugurated as
the seventh
President of Ireland. She resigned from the office of President
on 12 September,
1997, to take up appointment as United Nations High Commissioner
for Human
Rights.
EMAIL MEcopyright
2002