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To my Darling wife: If I die - pray for me.
Kiss our children for me
Tell them their father died
doing his duty. Had MacNeill let things go
the day before Sunday we'd hold
this position for months
My force here wd have
been exactly five times its
present strength:
A Coy paraded
B '
C '
D '
E '
We showed that there were Irishmen who
in face of great odds would dare what they said
This is an undated letter from Éamon de Valera (1882-1975) to his wife, Sinéad de
Valera (1882-1975), written most probably from Boland's Mills. Éamon de Valera had
joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and was adjutant to Thomas MacDonagh (1878-1916),
Dublin Brigade commandant. He went on to command forces at Bolands Mill during the
Rising and was the most senior participant to escape execution. De Valera would go
on to become one of the most influential figures in Ireland's 20th century. Sinéad
de Valera (née O'Flanagan) was pregnant and without an income while her husband was
in prison, and was forced to return to the family home in Phibsboro to care for her
invalid sister and mother. Throughout much of the ensuing political upheaval she saw
little of her husband, who was either imprisoned or on the run.