Éamon De Valera, Jnr.
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Éamon de Valera Jnr. (11 October 1913 – 9 December 1986) was an Irish
obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...
and
gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...
. In 2021, ''RTÉ Investigates'' revealed that he had illegally and covertly transferred children from mothers in
Magdalene asylum Magdalene asylums, also known as Magdalene laundries (named after the Biblical figure Mary Magdalene), were initially Protestant but later mostly Roman Catholic institutions that operated from the 18th to the late 20th centuries, ostensibly to ...
s to childless couples.


Biography


Early life and education

Éamon was the third child of Sinéad (née Flanagan) and
Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...
. His mother and father were school teachers. His father became an Irish revolutionary leader,
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
and
President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...
. As a young man, de Valera Jr. was strongly influenced by his father's close friend, Dr. Robert Farnan, a noted, wealthy gynaecologist and founder member of
Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...
, who had sheltered his father when he was sought by the British authorities. Farnan mentored him and de Valera Jr. felt indebted to him thereafter. He attended the Christian Brothers primary school in Westland Row, Dublin, Presentation College, Bray,
Blackrock College Blackrock College () is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 1860 as a school and later became al ...
, and finally
University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...
(UCD) where, in 1936, he gained a first-class honours degree. In 1944, he qualified as a doctor; in 1947, he was admitted to the
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), () is an Irish professional body dedicated to improving the practice of general medicine and related medical specialty, medical specialities, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by e ...
.


Marriage and academic posts

Eamon married Sarah O'Doherty, from
Carndonagh Carndonagh (; ) is a town on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland, close to Trawbreaga Bay. It is the site of the Carndonagh stones. The Irish name, ''Carn Domhnach'', means "the cairn or mound of the church". Amenities The tow ...
,
County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
, in April 1941. They had two children, Éamon (1944) and
Máire () is a feminine given name. It is the Irish language form of Maria (given name), Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ (Mariam), and Μαρια (Maria), found in the New Testament. Both New Testament names were f ...
(1945). He worked at St.Luke's Hospital, the National Maternity Hospital, James Connolly Memorial Hospital and the Mater Hospital. He became Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UCD in 1960. He was a guest lecturer in the US and Canada. In 1970, he was elected to the
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional association based in London, United Kingdom. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is ...
, London, and shortly afterwards was made a Fellow of the
American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is a professional medical association for surgeons and surgical team members, founded in 1913. It claims more than 90,000 members in 144 countries. History The ACS was founded in 1913 as an outgrowth of ...
. He retired from UCD 1983 but continued as a consultant gynaecologist with the Mater Hospital. He was described as an outstanding academic and gynaecological surgeon.


''RTÉ Investigates''

In March 2021, the national Irish broadcaster,
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
, revealed in their programme ''RTÉ Investigates'' that de Valera Jr. was involved in the illegal provision of babies to childless couples over a few decades. He forged paperwork to facilitate these adoptions, organised bogus antenatal appointments for women who were not pregnant and the children's birth details were changed, resulting in falsified birth certificates. The babies came typically from young unmarried women who were socially stigmatised after becoming pregnant and sent to religious asylums; the babies were taken from them after birth.


Pastimes and death

In his private life, de Valera enjoyed fishing, tennis, music and nature. He died aged 73, survived by his wife and children.


References


External links


Dr Éamonn de Valera
- findagrave.com {{DEFAULTSORT:de Valera Jnr, Éamon De Valera family Irish gynaecologists Fellows of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Fellows of the American College of Surgeons Children of presidents of Ireland Children of Taoisigh Alumni of University College Dublin 1913 births 1986 deaths People educated at Blackrock College Medical doctors from Dublin (city)