Edward Lee

that any firm advertising in certain newspapers would have their
premises destroyed’. 55 Shocked and upset, ‘Mr. Lee said he was at a loss
to understand why his shop should have been singled out for destruction.
He was glad his apprentices escaped so well’. 56 It is interesting that Lee’s
in Rathmines should be singled out, as it did have some Republican
sympathisers, such as Maeve Cavanagh, employed there. But perhaps the
more likely motivation was the newspaper photograph of the meeting
with the Provisional Government in June 1922. Certainly the Lee family
would have had Pro-Treaty sympathies by this time.
Ironically therefore, and considering Edward Lee’s political views,
Éamon de Valera and his family became the next tenants of Bellevue
on Cross Avenue, Blackrock when, in 1933, Annie Lee left Bellevue, a
house full of memories, to live with Ted’s family. Before Annie vacated
the house, she met Sinéad de Valera on a few occasions and according
to de Valera’s youngest son, Terry 57 the two women, although politically
opposite, became good friends. They had many chats together, Annie
telling Sinéad of the great sadness in her life regarding the terrible fate
that befell her two sons in the war. 58 Sometimes Annie would go out into
the back garden of Bellevue and imagine Joe and Robert Ernest were with
her. Unfortunately, the de Valeras would have their own family tragedy
while living in Bellevue. Brian, another son, was killed when he was out
riding his horse in February 1936.
Towards the end of October 1926, Edward Lee involved himself
in what would be his last public cause, the coal shortage for the poor
campaign in Blackrock. He attended a meeting in Blackrock Town Hall,
where a Relief Committee was formed. Even at this late stage of his life
he involved himself in relief efforts for the poor. It was stated that the
Government was unable to promise a supply of ten tons of coal. Edward
Lee, ever practical, stated, ‘There was plenty of small timber available.
The people would only be too willing to cut it up as well as they could.
They could take the waste timber, the removal of which would benefit
the other trees’. 59
By now, Edward Lee was becoming increasingly frail. In 1926 he had
55 Freeman’s Journal. 28/10/1924
56 Irish Independent. 30/4/1923
57 Terry de Valera in conversation with the Michael Lee.
58 ibid
59 Irish Times. 23/10/1926
Model Employer and Man of Moral Courage
59