It is fifty years since the death of one of the most important figures of Irish history - Éamon de Valera. He was a key leader in the revolution that won independence for Ireland. He ruled as Taoiseach, and later as President for almost half a century.
RTÉ have just released a two-part documentary, Dev: Rise and Rule, that shines a light on his life story - streaming here now on RTÉ Player!
As part of the project, the producers also wanted the young people of today's Ireland to have their say. With the help of the award-winning Mayo director Paula Rouse, two schools (one Primary and one Post-Primary) were invited to make their own short films to capture their reflections about the man they used to call 'the Chief'.
St Hugh's National School in Dowra had a track record of winning awards in the national Fís filmmaking competitions, so they were perfect partners as they put together an imaginative film about the ghost of Éamon de Valera revisiting modern day Leitrim.
Press play on the image above to watch it now.
In his early teens, Éamon de Valera used to travel seven miles every day to go from his home in Bruree, Co Limerick to secondary school in Charleville CBS. It was only fitting then that modern day history students in Charleville CBS would step up to offer their filmmaking interpretation of their school's most famous former pupil. The end result was a short documentary exploring de Valera’s links to the area.
Press play on the image above to watch the short film.
And the young men from Charleville also wrote a special song about the famous patriot entitled A Rebel's Life. They also produced a special music video to accompany the song.
Well done to all the young people involved with these pieces, allowing us to see the former Taoiseach and President through fresh eyes.
Dev: Rise and Rule
On the 50th anniversary of the death of the man they called The Chief, David McCullagh authors a landmark two-part documentary about the rise and rule of Éamon de Valera.
Dev: Rise and Rule is streaming now on RTÉ Player!
