Cormac MacConnell: The Long Fellow still casts mighty shadow

It was an Eastertide evening in Boston many decades ago and Liam MacGabhann, the young reporter from Valentia Island who was covering one of Éamon de Valera’s fundraising trips to the States for Fianna Fáil, was just finished writing his report of the day’s events for the family newspaper The Irish Press when the knock came on his hotel door.

He opened up and there was DeValera himself and Dev asked if he would accompany him on a short walk through the city streets. Within minutes they were striding along together.

They were talking Irish and politics. Liam noticed that the big long man striding along beside him was a little bit excited.