During this turbulent period, he found himself imprisoned, in poor mental health, and politically sidelined.

At the heart of this story are the radical women who stood by him—revolutionaries who had fought for Ireland’s independence. Among them were Countess Markiewicz, a combatant in the 1916 Rising; Mary MacSwiney, sister of hunger striker Terence MacSwiney; and Kathleen Clarke, widow of executed 1916 leader Tom Clarke.

When the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed, de Valera, once a dominant force, was suddenly cast into political exile. His opposition to the Treaty aligned him with these women, but as the struggle for power unfolded, who would ultimately pay the price?

De Valera san Fhásach reveals how these women played a crucial role in de Valera’s remarkable political comeback—the founding of Fianna Fáil, the party that would go on to shape Irish politics for a century. Yet, while de Valera’s fortunes soared, these women faced a different fate.

The documentary examines their gradual erasure from political life, their silencing, and their relegation to the domestic sphere—a stark betrayal of the ideals they had fought for.

Far from the vision of equality promised in the 1916 Proclamation, they found themselves in an Ireland that had abandoned its revolutionary women. The series also delves into the personal cost of the Irish Revolution, exploring the legacy of trauma and the impact on mental health.

Director Ciara Hylands describes the period as a turning point: “De Valera’s wilderness years are rarely discussed, yet they were crucial in shaping the Ireland we know today. This was a time when everything was uncertain, and history could have taken a very different path. Instead, de Valera orchestrated one of the greatest political comebacks ever. But his rise came at the cost of a generation of revolutionary women who had fought for equality—and we are still living with that legacy.”

De Valera san Fhásach is a dramatic and thought-provoking account of a defining moment in Irish history—one that changed the nation’s course forever.

The series airs on TG4 from Wednesday, January 22nd, to January 29th at 9:30 pm.