A collection of love letters written by Éamon de Valera to his wife Sinéad is withdrawn from auction.
The auction of the letters was due to take place in Dublin but the items have been withdrawn to allow a private purchase by the De Valera family.
The catalogue for the auction is now considered to be a collector's item as it features the De Valera love letters that will now not be sold. The letters were written in the nine years up to 1920. Seven of the letters were written while Éamon de Valera was serving time in various prisons including Mountjoy. In 1916 he told his wife that his death sentence has been commuted to life in prison.
Éamon de Valera and his wife Sinéad
The previously unknown letters may have found their way to England in the 1970s. They were bought recently and returned to Ireland for auction. The De Valera family are negotiating a private sale.
According to auctioneer Fonsie Mealy, these letters are very valuable because,
They paint a different side of De Valera to that that was hitherto known. The straight-laced, cold character. These show that he’s a warm... was a warm individual.
Eamon de Valera
Fonsie Mealy believes that if the family had not stepped in, the nation would have had to due to the immense interest of these letters.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 5 December 2000. The reporter is Colm Connolly.
