Éamon de Valera in Colorado (1919)

The details of Éamon de Valera having come to Colorado was known to just a few. He reportedly had arrived sometime in the early 20th century. It was said he came to Colorado to hopefully find the grave site of his Spanish born father (Vivion de Valera). As the story goes the father’s case of tuberculosis had brought him west to the Rocky Mountains and Colorado’s drier air. Éamon de Valera was never to locate his father’s grave in either Colorado or in Montana - but his trip to America in hopes of getting American recognition of the Irish Republic - was to be much more successful. He travelled throughout America between June 1919 and December 1920, leaving Michael Collins in charge back in Ireland. His trip to Colorado was first a personal family mission, and second a formal request for recognition of the Irish Republic. During those 18 months he raised $5.5 million dollars. Finding evidence on whether or not de Valera had arrived in Denver - up to now was nearly impossible. Reportedly he had stayed at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, but after nine decades nearly all signs of his trip were gone. Today, we now have historical proof that the former president of Ireland, Éamon de Valera, was a guest of Colorado Governor Oliver Shoup, Mayor Bailey and the Denver Irish community on Oct. 30, 1919 at the Brown Palace Hotel. While de Valera’s trip may have originally been a personal family mission, nevertheless, while in Denver the state and Irish community gave him the respect afforded to visiting foreign dignitaries with a high level state dinner. In fact as you will see those gathered referred to him with the honorable title, “President of the Irish Republic” (a title he would not officially hold till August 1921). To place his trip in history recall that three years earlier the Easter Rising of 1916 had taken place in Dublin, and two years into the future the Anglo-Irish Treaty would be signed between Britain and Ireland creating the “Irish Free State”. But on that 30th of October night in Denver at the Brown Palace Hotel, Éamon de Valera would speak to the gathered audience on the topic of - “Ireland’s Hopes And Ambitions”. I personally wish to thank Ireland’s Honorary Consul of Denver James M. Lyons for securing these scanned images of the banquet menu, and sharing them with our readers (pages 8-10); as well as John J. McDonnell of Canada who owns the original menu from whence these copies came. - Ken Hannon Larson, Editor

Brown Palace Hotel - Denver, Colorado