SÃle de Valera (; born 17 December 1954) is an Irish former
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 ...
politician who served as a
Minister of State
Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...
from 2002 to 2006 and as
Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands from 1997 to 2002. She served as a
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...
(TD) from 1977 to 1981 and from 1987 to 2007. She was a
Member of the European Parliament
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
(MEP) for the
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
constituency from 1979 to 1984.
Early and personal life
SÃle de Valera was born in 1954, in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, Ireland to Terence de Valera (1922–2007), the youngest child of
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 ...
, and his wife Phyllis Blake (1920–2002). She has a younger sister. She was educated at
Loreto College, Foxrock and at
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 ...
, where she qualified as a career guidance teacher. De Valera's grandfather, Éamon de Valera, was the founder 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 ...
, a
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 the third
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 ...
.
She is a niece of
Vivion de Valera, a former TD, and is a first cousin of
Éamon Ó CuÃv, a TD who succeeded her as a minister.
Political career
De Valera was first elected to
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
in the
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 ...
landslide victory at the
1977 general election. She was elected for the
Dublin County Mid constituency, which included the
Tallaght area of
County Dublin
County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...
, being the youngest TD elected at that election. In June 1979, she was elected to the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
for a five-year term. Later that year she was one of the Fianna Fáil TDs who criticised the policies of Taoiseach
Jack Lynch
John Mary Lynch (15 August 1917 – 20 October 1999) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979. He was Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1966 to 1979, Leader of the Opposition from 1973 to 1977, ...
in relation to
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, and was a prominent supporter of
Charles Haughey, who succeeded him as Taoiseach in December 1979. She was highly critical of
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
and the
British Government
His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. , and became a noted supporter of the
Anti H-Block movement. She called on nationalists to vote for
Bobby Sands in the
1981 by-election, which he won. She also controversially called on Fianna Fáil voters to give preference votes for Anti H-Block candidates in the
1981 general election.
She held her Dáil seat until the 1981 general election, when the constituency boundaries were redrawn. She sought re-election in the new constituency of
Dublin South. This caused tension within the local Fianna Fáil party, for one of the other candidates,
Séamus Brennan, was a prominent opponent of Haughey. De Valera narrowly failed to be elected, losing to another Fianna Fáil candidate,
Niall Andrews. She contested the constituency again at the
February 1982 general election, but saw her vote drop, and once again failed to be elected.
At the
November 1982 general election she sought election to the
Clare constituency, where one of the sitting TDs,
Bill Loughnane—a fellow supporter of Haughey—had died. Clare was the constituency her grandfather Éamon de Valera had represented from 1917 to 1959. Again, she narrowly failed to be elected, but remained living in the constituency, and at the
1987 general election she was elected a TD for Clare. She was re-elected there at every election until her retirement in 2007.
De Valera resigned briefly from Fianna Fáil in 1993, due to the removal of the 'stopover' at
Shannon Airport. She was persuaded to rejoin the party in 1994 by its new leader,
Bertie Ahern
Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, and as Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008. A Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2011, he served ...
; he then appointed her to the opposition front bench. In 1997, she was appointed as
Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. She introduced broadcasting legislation in 1999 to ensure that the public could continue to watch the most important sporting events on ordinary television.
[McNamara,Maedhbh. A woman's place is in the Cabinet:women ministers in Irish governments 1919-2019. Drogheda, Sea Dog Books,2020.ISBN 978-1-913275-06-8] A speech given by de Valera in Boston about her fear of closer EU integration stimulated a debate on whether Ireland's economic and social values were closer to those of the USA or the EU, "Boston or Berlin".
She lost her place in the cabinet in 2002, but was appointed as
Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, with special responsibility for Adult Education, Youth Affairs and Educational Disadvantage.
On 11 November 2005, she announced her intention to retire at
the following election. She resigned as Minister of State on 8 December 2006, and was succeeded by a member of another Irish political family,
Seán Haughey.
See also
*
Families in the Oireachtas
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Valera, Sile
1954 births
Living people
Alumni of University College Dublin
De Valera family
Women government ministers of the Republic of Ireland
20th-century women MEPs for the Republic of Ireland
Fianna Fáil MEPs
Fianna Fáil TDs
Irish schoolteachers
Members of the 21st Dáil
Members of the 25th Dáil
Members of the 26th Dáil
Members of the 27th Dáil
Members of the 28th Dáil
Members of the 29th Dáil
20th-century women Teachtaà Dála
21st-century women Teachtaà Dála
MEPs for the Republic of Ireland 1979–1984
Ministers of State of the 29th Dáil
Politicians from Dublin (city)
Women ministers of state of the Republic of Ireland
People educated at Loreto College, Foxrock