Michael Collins, aka the big fellow, was born in county Cork, 10/1890, and died 8/1922. Eamon de Valera was born in New York City of an Irish mother and a Cuban father, 10/1882 and died 8/1975.
These two were, Irish Nationalist heavyweights, in Ireland's great struggle for independence and the creation of an Irish Free State during the early 20th century.
For modern day Ireland the big day came on the 6th of December, 1921. It was here that the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed by both Great Briton and Ireland, ending the Irish War of Independence, and ultimately creating the Irish Free State for all of Ireland except the 6 counties of Northern Ireland.
Michael Collins was one of the Irish delegates to, and signer of, the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
By any measure a great achievement by the Irish.
However, there were Irish detractors, those not satisfied with the outcome, among them was Eamon de Valera.
Eamon had chosen not to be part of the Irish delegation, he was not there for the Anglo-Irish negotiations; and this, though others begged and prompted him to attend, as he was the most able negotiator among them all.
This was important because some of the Irish accepted the treaty as the best possible achievement of the time, while others wanted nothing less than complete independence. Therefore Michael and Eamon represented these two distinct factions.
"It is the man who is actually in the arena, the man who sweats and toils greatly", Teddy Roosevelt circa 1910.
Michael Collins was the man actually in the Arena, up against the great and powerful, John Bull, sweating and toiling greatly.
At the signing, Lord Birkenhead, a Brit, said to Michael Collins, "in signing this treaty, I am signing my political death warrant", to which Michael replied, "Lord Birkenhead, I'm signing my actual death warrant".
Michael Collins was subsequently killed, or assassinated, by anti-Treaty Irish in an ambush in southern Ireland some 9.5 months later, two moths short of his 32nd birthday.
"For his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls that know neither victory nor defeat", Teddy Roosevelt circa 1910.
Between 12/21 and his death in 8/22 Michael put forth the proposition that the Anglo-Irish Treaty gave Ireland the "freedom to achieve freedom".
Eamon de Valera, the critic who points out where the great man stumbled, but not the man actually in the arena, stirred the pot by charging the delegates as traitors for failing to achieve complete freedom. Turmoil and bloodshed resulted.
Michael Collins's place in history shall never be with those "cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat", but Eamon de Valera's place in history is with those cold and timid souls.
In 1966, the 50th year anniversary of the Irish, Easter Rising, Eamon stated "It is my considered opinion, that in the fullness of time, history will record the greatness of Michael Collins, and it will be at my expense".
That just might be because one was the man actually in the arena, the other chose to be the critic who not only would not enter the arena, but further pointed out where the man in the arena failed rather than were he achieved.
If I could see in my lifetime, an achievement for a new, non-liberal, white, nation-state on par with the achievement of Michael Collins for The Irish Free State, I would be most moved.
Michael Collins; the man who actually got in the arena and achieved greatly.
From the sanctuary,@ http://the-pdk.blogspot.com/
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