Forgotten Patriot

Shows the considerable impact on the development and perception of the office of President of Ireland by its first holder, Douglas Hyde. With his non-partisan background as a Protestant nationalist and a leading figure in the language revival, he was an inspired choice for the office. He made the office an inclusive one and determined to be a president for all the people of Ireland. He was at the forefront in providing leadership on key political issues of his time, and also played a highly significant, but previously unheralded, role in the state's policy of neutrality during the Second World War.