Ireland during WWII - in the 6 Hats style

Ireland During the Second World War


Blue Hat

Overview


During World War II Ireland decided to remain neutral. At the time anti-Britishfeeling was still high after the Anglo-Irish War of 1919-1921, and the government felt it could not aid Britain, who still controlled one-sixth of Ireland and maintain popular support…


…But neither could the government of Taoiseach Eamon de Valera bring itself to support Nazi Germany.


De Valera stated in his wartime speeches, based on the experience of the failed League of Nations, that small states should stay out of the conflicts of big powers; hence Ireland's policy was officially "neutral", and the country did not declare its support for either side


Fianna Fail also decided that there was no way Ireland could handle a major war due to the economic problems of the time and the neglect of the military since the civil war.

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Facts and Figures


World War II was referred to as

The Emergency by the Irish

government…


In the course of the war an estimated 70,000 individually motivatedcitizens of neutral Ireland served as volunteers in the British ArmedForces (and another estimated 50,000 from Northern Ireland. Some200,000 Irish migrated to England to participate in the war economy - most of them staying after the war.

Badge of The Royal Irish Regiment Badge of The Royal Irish Guard


Irish military intelligence shared information with the British military and even held secret meetings to decide what to do if Germany invaded Ireland in order to attack Britain. The Germans had a contingency plan (Operation Emerald) for just such an invasion.

Ireland During the Second World WarOn the night of May 30 1941, Dublin's Northside was the target of a Luftwaffe air raid. Thirty-eight were killed and seventy houses were destroyed. The German government claimed the raid was an error and West Germany paid compensation after the war. However, it has been claimed that this was actually a deliberate warning by Germany not to assist the Allied war effort (since the Dublin fire brigade helped put out fires in Belfast and so bring the shipyards back into use more quickly). At the time,Germany apologised saying that high winds were to blame. Eduard Hempel claimed that they were captured aircraft flown by the British.


Irish weather reports were crucial to the timing of the D-Day landings, and positions of German submarines were regularly reported to the Royal Navy through secret messages.

20 Irish merchant ships were sunk in the course of the war, with the loss of 138 lives.

However Ireland wanted to maintain a public stance of neutrality and refused to close the German and Japanese embassies, and the Taoiseach Eamon de Valera even signed the book of condolence on Adolf Hitler's death, on May 2, 1945, even after the liberation of Auschwitz had revealed to the world the reality of Nazi Germany.


Yellow Hat

Positive


• Benefits of Neutrality:– No huge loss of life of Irish as opposed to in

other countries fighting in the war.– By staying neutral Ireland was safe from attack

by stronger powers– Ireland could not enter a war as an ally of

United Kingdom while she was in occupation of Ireland’s land

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Negative


• Disadvantages of Neutrality:– Countries that attempted to remain neutral in

the conflict were often viewed with suspicion by the participants, and often pressured

– to make contributions to the most influential power in their neighbourhood.

– In spite of neutrality Ireland still had to suffer the hardship of rationing and the fear of the Blitz

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Interesting


In 2005 documents were released from the UK Public Record Office regarding contacts between Eamon de Valera and a British MI6 officer in 1942 over Ireland joining the allies. Details of the meetings were not disclosed but it is believed the British made a vague offer to de Valera of a united Ireland. De Valera did not take the offer seriously, and was unhappy with the attempted deception.


In his radio broadcast on V-E Day, Churchill castigated Irish neutrality, saying

"the approaches which the southern Irish ports and airfields could so easily have guarded were closed by the hostile aircraft and U-boats. This indeed was a deadly moment in our life, and if it had not been for the loyalty and friendship of Northern Ireland, we should have been forced to come to close quarters with Mr. de Valera, or perish from the earth.

CONTINUED


However, with a restraint and poise to which, I venture to say, history will find few parallels, His Majesty’s Government never laid a violent hand upon them, though at times it would have been quite easy and quite natural, and we left the de Valera Government to frolic with the German and later with the Japanese representatives to their heart’s content."


De Valera replied to Churchill in another radio broadcast, which did much to restore his popularity after the controversial visit to the German embassy:

"Allowances can be made for Mr. Churchill’s statement, however unworthy, in the first flush of victory. No such excuse could be found for me in this quieter atmosphere. There are, however, some things it is essential to say. I shall try to say them as dispassionately as I can. Mr. Churchill makes it clear that, in certain circumstances, he would have violated our neutrality and that he would justify his actions by Britain’s necessity.

CONTINUED


It seems strange to me that Mr. Churchill does not see that this, if accepted, would become a moral code and that when this necessity became sufficiently great, other people’s rights were not to count that is precisely why we had this disastrous succession of wars - World War No.1 and World War No.2 - and shall it be World War No.3? Mr. Churchill is proud of Britain’s stand alone, after France had fallen and before America entered the war.

CONTINUED


Could he not find in his heart the generosity to acknowledge that there is a small nation that stood alone not for one year or two, but for several hundred years against aggression; that endured spoliations, famine, massacres, in endless succession; that was clubbed many times into insensibility, but each time on returning to consciousness took up the fight anew; a small nation that could never be got to accept defeat and has never surrendered her soul?"

Interesting Facts

Irish "concentration" camps: In the movie “The Brylcreem Boys” staring Gabriel Byrne, Bill Campbell, Angus MacFadyen and Jean Butler, an Allied pilot and his German counterpart shoot each other down in Ireland, the Irish government, in accordance with their pledge of neutrality, places both in a P.O.W. camp.


• Countries that were neutral during the war;– Ireland– San Marino– Sweden– Switzerland (with Liechtenstein)– Some African States

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P M I

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Emotional Phase

Emotional Phase

• Emotional and people-oriented aspects of Irish Neutrality– Imagine what it would be like for an Irish

person living in Ireland during the War?– Imagine what it would be like for an Irish

person fighting for the Allies during the War?– Was it right to remain neutral ?

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Summary of New Facts

Summary of New Facts

What did we all learn together ?

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Finish Off

Entertainment & Humor

Ireland during WWII - in the 6 Hats style