Eamon de Valera served as Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) four times, and as Irish President between 1959 and 1973. The most significant figure in the independent country's century-long history, de Valera was a key figure in securing and moulding Irish independence for six decades. His long public life has led to a popular image of de Valera as austere, pious, and as representing the economic and cultural stagnation that gripped Ireland for much of the 20th century. 

My guest for this episode is Diarmaid Ferriter, lecturer in Irish history at University College Dublin.