Speech of 1943 showed de Valera was true statesman

Every March there is a tendency to refer to Éamon de Valera’s St Patrick’s Day speech of 80 odd years ago, and to misquote it as ‘the comely maidens dancing at the crossroads’ speech.

De Valera never said that. What he hoped for was a land that “would be joyous with the sounds of industry, with the romping of sturdy children, the contests of athletic youth and the laughter of comely maidens.”

More importantly, the Ireland he “dreamed of would be of the home of a people who valued material wealth only as a basis for right living”. Perhaps if we had paid more attention to these values during the so-called Celtic Tiger era, we might not be in the financial straits in which we find ourselves now.

There will be those who disagree with de Valera, but at least he had a vision — as, indeed, did Sean Lemass and Garret FitzGerald.

Our present and recent leaders regretfully have only had a view on the next election and are incapable of seeing the big picture from a societal perspective. That, of course, is the classical difference between politicians and statesmen.

Michael Joy

Midleton

Co Cork