The Emergency was an official euphemism used by the Irish Government (of the State now known as the Republic of Ireland) during the 1940s to refer to its position during World War II. The State was officially neutral during World War II and in government media, direct references to the war were avoided. This was partly due to the political and nationalist tensions in Ireland at the time which resulted from the Anglo–Irish War and the Irish Civil War. The term has remained in use in, for example, as a cultural and historic context in school books. The official state of emergency commenced on 2 September 1939, enabling the Emergency Powers Act to be passed the following day, giving sweeping new powers to the government for the duration of the Emergency. The Act was repealed on 2 September 1946. Although the state of emergency itself was not rescinded until 1 September 1976, no emergency legislation was ever in force after 1946 to exploit this anomaly. A euphemism is an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word or phrase it replaces, or in the case of doublespeak to make it less troublesome for the speaker. ... Government Buildings in Dublin. ... // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... A neutral country takes no side in a war between other parties, and in return hopes to avoid being attacked by either of them. ... Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ... An Irish War of Independence memorial in Dublin The Anglo-Irish War (also known as the Irish War of Independence) was a guerrilla campaign mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army under the proclaimed legitimacy of the First Dáil, the extra-legal Irish parliament... Combatants Irish Republican Army (1922-1969) Irish Army of the Irish Free State Commanders Liam Lynch Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Strength c. ... A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, may work to alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or may order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (246th in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (246th in leap years). ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ...

Significant events

Eamon de Valera, who was Taoiseach (head of government) during the Emergency, introduced the Emergency Powers and Offences Against the State Acts and the Special Criminal Court to suppress the IRA, many members of which sought to provoke a confrontation between the United Kingdom and Ireland. This repressive legislation was introduced after the IRA stole the Irish Army's reserve ammunition from its dump in the so called Christmas Raid in December 1939. The government started a recruiting drive in case of invasion. In July 1940, three Abwehr (German Intelligence) agents were arrested outside Skibbereen after landing near Castletownshend, County Cork. The agents mission had been to infiltrate Britain via Ireland. A more successful German spy ring was to be that involving Hermann Görtz who was captured in possession of "Plan Kathleen"- an IRA plan that detailed a Nazi supported invasion of Northern Ireland. Early in the war, de Valera refused Winston Churchill's demands to open the former Treaty Ports to British shipping. Eamon de Valera (born Edward George de Valera, sometimes Gaelicised Éamon de Bhailéara; October 14, 1882 – August 29, 1975), was an Irish politician, best known as a leader of Irelands struggle for independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the early 20th century, and... The Taoiseach (plural: Taoisigh) or, more formally, An Taoiseach, is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet. ... The Special Criminal Court is a juryless criminal court in the Republic of Ireland which tries terrorist and organized crime cases. ... Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921, the Irish Republican Army in the 26 counties that were to become the Irish Free State split between supporters and opponents of the Treaty. ... The Irish Army is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces of the Republic of Ireland. ... Outer wall of the (now disused) Magazine Fort, Dublin. ... The Abwehr was a German intelligence organization from 1921 to 1944. ... Skibbereen (Irish: An Sciobairín) in Ireland is known as the capital of West Cork. ... Categories: Ireland-place stubs | Towns in Cork ... Statistics Province: Munster County Town: Cork Code: C (CK proposed) Area: 7,457 km² Population (2002) 447,829 Website: www. ... Hermann Görtz (1890-1947) was a German spy in Britain and Ireland before and during World War II. First trip to Broadstairs Hermann Görtz (also Goertz in English) arrived to Britain in August 29 1935 with a secretary Marianne Emig. ... Plan Kathleen, sometimes referred to as Artus Plan (Artus Plan in German), was a plan for the invasion of Northern Ireland sanctioned by Stephen Hayes Acting Irish Republican Army (IRA) Chief of Staff in 1940. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Nazism. ... Dieu et mon droit (motto) (French for God and my right)2 Northern Irelands location within the UK Main language English Other recognised languages Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain MP Area  - Total Ranked 4th... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician and author, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... After the Irish Free State won independence in 1922, three deep water Treaty Ports, at Berehaven, Queenstown (renamed Cobh) and Lough Swilly, were retained by the United Kingdom as sovereign bases. ...

In 2005 documents were released from the UK Public Record Office regarding contacts between de Valera and a British MI6 officer in 1942 over the State 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. The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the two organisations that make up the National Archives (the other is the Historical Manuscripts Commission). ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ... A United Ireland is the common demand of Irish nationalists, envisaging that the island of Ireland (currently divided into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) be reunited as a single political entity. ...

Belfast Blitz

Main article: Belfast blitz

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland (as part of the United Kingdom) was certainly at war and the Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast were among the strategic targets for German attack. The Luftwaffe carried out a bombing raid on Belfast on April 7, 1941; eight people died. There was no defence of the city. On Easter Tuesday, April 15 1941, 180 Luftwaffe bombers attacked Belfast. Again, there was no defence from the RAF. There were only 7 anti-aircraft batteries in Belfast. However they ceased firing lest they damage the (absent) RAF airplanes. Over 200 tons of explosives, 80 landmines attached to parachutes and 800 firebomb canisters were dropped. Over 1000 died and 56 000 houses (more than half of the city's housing stock) were damaged leaving 100 000 temporarily homeless. Outside of London, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during the Battle of Britain mostly due to the lack of aerial defences over Belfast. At 4.30 AM Basil Brooke asked de Valera for assistance. Within two hours, 13 fire tenders from Dublin, Drogheda, Dundalk and Dún Laoghaire were on their way to cross the Irish border to assist their Belfast colleagues. De Valera followed up with his "they are our people" speech and formally protested to Berlin. Although there was a later raid on May 4, it was confined to the docks and shipyards. The Belfast Blitz was an event that occurred on Easter Tuesday, April 15, 1941, when 200 German Luftwaffe bombers attacked Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries began as a shipyard located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or (German: Air Arm, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... Combatants United Kingdom Germany Italy Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann Göring Strength 700 fighters 1,260 bombers, 316 dive-bombers, 1,089 fighters Casualties 1,547 aircraft, 27,450 civilian dead, 32,138 wounded 1,887 aircraft One of the major campaigns of the early part of World War II... Sir Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, Bt, KG, CBE, MC, PC (June 9, 1888-August 18, 1973) was an Irish Unionist politician. ... Eamon de Valera (born Edward George de Valera, sometimes Gaelicised Éamon de Bhailéara; October 14, 1882 – August 29, 1975), was an Irish politician, best known as a leader of Irelands struggle for independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the early 20th century, and... Engine 4 - City of Chico, CA A Fire Engine is one of many specialized fire suppression apparatuses. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Dún Laoghaire (Irish pronunciation ; anglicized pronunciation ) is a seaside town and a ferry port situated some 12 km south of Dublin city centre, and is the administrative centre of the county of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. ... For other uses, see Berlin (disambiguation). ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ...

Dublin Bombing

On the night of May 30 of the same year, Dublin's Northside was the target of a Luftwaffe air raid. Thirty-eight were killed and seventy houses were destroyed on Summerhill Parade, North Strand and the North Circular Road. The German government claimed the raid was an error and Germany paid compensation after the war. However, whilst most likely a mistake, it has been claimed that this bombing raid 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, head of the German Legation in Dublin claimed that they were captured aircraft flown by the British.^{[citation needed]} On October 3, the German news agency announced that the German government would pay compensation for dropping bombs on Dublin. Winston Churchill later conceded that the raids might have been the result of a British invention which distorted Luftwaffe radio guidance beams so as to throw their planes off course^[1][2]. May 30 is the 150th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (151st in leap years). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Traffic passing the Independent Bridge at Drumcondra, north Dublin The Northside is the area in Dublin City, Ireland bounded to the south by the River Liffey, to the east by Dublin Bay and to the north and west by the M50 motorway. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Eduard Hempel (1887–1972) was the German Ambassador to Ireland between 1937 and 1945. ... October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician and author, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ...

Neutrality

Main article: Irish neutrality

The possibility of Irish neutrality had been discussed since before the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921. One of the British objections to Irish independence was that Ireland might fall under the influence of a foreign power or be used as a stepping stone in some future invasion of Britain. It was suggested by some on the Irish side that Ireland could satisfy British objections by declaring perpetual neutrality, similar to that of Switzerland. Irish neutrality has been a policy of the Irish Free State and its successor the Republic of Ireland since independence from the United Kingdom in 1922. ... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of association between Ireland and the British Empire, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the (extra-judicial) Irish Republic which concluded the Anglo-Irish War. ... A neutral country takes no side in a war between other parties, and in return hopes to avoid being attacked by either of them. ...

The Irish state was the only Commonwealth dominion to have an official policy of neutrality. Irish neutrality in WWII arose for a number of reasons. A large part of Irish society recognised the importance of the fight against fascism. Some 43,000 citizens from what is now the Republic of Ireland and around 38,000 from Northern Ireland (where there was no conscription) served with British forces during World War II, and there were many unannounced acts of support for the allies. The support from parts of the Irish government has become clearer since the declassification of State papers in the 1990's. The English noun Commonwealth dates originally from the fifteenth century. ... A Dominion is a wholly self-governing or virtually self-governing state of the British Empire or Commonwealth of Nations, particularly one which reached that stage of constitutional development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. ...

On the other hand, elements of the IRA that wished to undermine the Anglo-Irish Treaty, end partition, and end British rule in Northern Ireland, contacted and attempted to share information with the Nazi Germany Intelligence Services and Foreign Ministry.^[3] This was part of a significant constituency of anti-British feeling. The Anglo-Irish War and the subsequent Irish Civil War were then quite recent and continuing British rule of Northern Ireland was viewed by many as an illegal occupation. This gave rise to a significant part of Irish society and government, of which de Valera was a part, that asserted a moral equivalence between the Allies and the Axis. For example, de Valera at the League of Nations in 1938 saw the looming conflict in terms of the great power politics of the nineteenth century, stating that if the great nations were to behave irresponsibly, the small nations should not assist them. Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of association between Ireland and the British Empire, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the (extra-judicial) Irish Republic which concluded the Anglo-Irish War. ... Look up partition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... An Irish War of Independence memorial in Dublin The Anglo-Irish War (also known as the Irish War of Independence) was a guerrilla campaign mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army under the proclaimed legitimacy of the First Dáil, the extra-legal Irish parliament... Combatants Irish Republican Army (1922-1969) Irish Army of the Irish Free State Commanders Liam Lynch Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Strength c. ... Dieu et mon droit (motto) (French for God and my right)2 Northern Irelands location within the UK Main language English Other recognised languages Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain MP Area  - Total Ranked 4th... Military occupation occurs where territory belonging to one country falls under the control and authority of the armed forces of a belligerent or enemy country following an invasion or annexation. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

An alliance with the United Kingdom therefore risked serious political instability. The policy of neutrality enabled the State to maintain internal political unity. In addition, it was also felt that the country could not handle a major war due to the economic problems of the time and the running-down of the military since the civil war. Because of Ireland's strategic position on the western approaches to northern Europe, there was also a serious danger of invasion and occupation from either side, an anxiety heightened by Britain's occupation of Iceland in 1940. Irish neutrality during World War II had broad support with only one vote against it in Dáil Éireann (the lower house of parliament), from James Dillon, who argued that the State should side with the Allies. He resigned his Dáil seat and from Fine Gael, the main opposition party, because of their support for neutrality. Combatants Irish Republican Army (1922-1969) Irish Army of the Irish Free State Commanders Liam Lynch Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Strength c. ... // Early history Thule as Tile on the Carta Marina by Olaus Magnus. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... The Dáil Chamber Dáil Éireann[1] is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... James Dillon (26 September 1902 - 10 February 1986) was an Irish politician and leader of Fine Gael from 1959 to 1965. ... Dáil Éireann[1] is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... Fine Gael (IPA , though often mispronounced (approximate English translation: Family of the Irish) is the second largest political party in Ireland. ...

The Allies & Neutrality

• British servicemen who crashed over the State were allowed to go free if they could claim not to have been on a combat mission, otherwise they were released "on licence" (promise to remain) and many chose to escape to the United Kingdom through Northern Ireland.^[4]
• British and American mechanics were allowed to retrieve crash landed Allied aircraft.
• Detailed weather reports of conditions in the Atlantic Ocean were secretly sent on official line to Britain "every single day of the war", crucially on 6 June 1944 when Eisenhower's decision to go ahead with the D-day landings was decided by a weather report from Blacksod Bay, County Mayo.^[5]
• When, in 1941, the Irish police discovered "Plan Kathleen" in a residence where German agent Hermann Görtz had been staying the Irish promptly passed copies to MI5 in London who in turn forwarded them to the RUC in Belfast. Joint plans of action were then drawn up between the British & Irish intelligence services and military under Plan W.
• General McKenna, the Irish Army's Chief of Staff, regularly visited British officers in Belfast and in 1942 twelve Irish officers undertook training with British special forces in Poyntzpass, County Armagh. Cooperation did not end there and also included the British signalling through GPO lines when it believed German planes were headed towards Ireland.^[6]
• From December 1940 onwards the Dublin Government agreed to accept over 2000 British women and children evacuated from London due to "The Blitz". These evacuees included over two hundred children orphaned by the bombing.^[7]
• Attacks on Irish vessels, a prime example being the attack on the "Kerlogue" which the British had attempted to pin on the Germans, but later admitted responsibility for and offered to pay compensation when fragments of British ammunition were discovered embedded in the ship.^[8]
• The mining of the St. George's channel to within seven miles of the Irish coast at Dungarvan, and the use of Irish waters for British shipping traffic.^[9]

Dieu et mon droit (motto) (French for God and my right)2 Northern Irelands location within the UK Main language English Other recognised languages Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain MP Area  - Total Ranked 4th... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American soldier and politician. ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... County Mayo (Irish: Contae Mhaigh Eo, the plain of the yews) is a county on the west coast of Ireland. ... Plan Kathleen, sometimes referred to as Artus Plan (Artus Plan in German), was a plan for the invasion of Northern Ireland sanctioned by Stephen Hayes Acting Irish Republican Army (IRA) Chief of Staff in 1940. ... Hermann Görtz (1890-1947) was a German spy in Britain and Ireland before and during World War II. First trip to Broadstairs Hermann Görtz (also Goertz in English) arrived to Britain in August 29 1935 with a secretary Marianne Emig. ... Current MI5 headquarters in Thames House, London The Security Service, usually called MI5, is the British counter-intelligence and security agency. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... The guns of the treaty ports. Irish troops test fire their 9. ... Poyntzpass is a small village situated between Portadown and Newry. ... German bomber over the Surrey Docks, Southwark, London The Blitz was the bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 16 May 1941, during World War II. It was carried out by the Luftwaffe across the UK, but their attack was concentrated on London. ...

Axis & Neutrality

• German pilots, aircrew and naval personnel that were discovered in Ireland were always interned and remained so for the duration of the conflict.^[10]
• The activities of German Intelligence (Abwehr) agents in Ireland throughout the war years and their attempts to contact & court both Irish Republican Army (IRA) and disaffected Irish Army personnel- many of these agents, if not all, were captured/exposed. See main article IRA Abwehr WW2.
• The German ambassador at the German Legation in Dublin, Eduard Hempel, had his radio confiscated in 1943 to prevent him from passing information to his leaders.^[11]
• The U-boat torpedo attack which sunk the vessel "Irish Oak" on 19 May 1943. de Valera said that "it was a wanton and inexcusable act. There was no possibility of a mistake, the conditions of visibility were good and the neutral markings on our ships were clear. There was no warning given."^[12]
• The "North Strand Bombing" on 31 May 1941 as noted above and the bomb attack on Campile creamery County Wexford.^[13] Bombing also took place in Malin, County Donegal on 5 May 1941, and Arklow on 1 June 1941.^[14]
• Repeated attempts to offer captured British weaponry to de Valera if he would side with Germans.^[15]

The Abwehr was a German intelligence organization from 1921 to 1944. ... Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921, the Irish Republican Army in the 26 counties that were to become the Irish Free State split between supporters and opponents of the Treaty. ... This article serves as an introduction to a series of articles about collaboration and intelligence sharing between three groups; The Irish Republican Army (IRA). ... Eduard Hempel (1887–1972) was the German Ambassador to Ireland between 1937 and 1945. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: coord}}}_N_{{{west coord}}}_W_{{{region:IE_type:city}}} {{{north coord}}}° N {{{west coord}}}° W Irish Grid Reference grid}}} {{{irish grid}}} Statistics Province: Ulster County: District: County Town: Lifford Code: DL Area: 4,841 km² Elevation: Population: Website: www. ... Arklow (An tInbhear Mór in Irish) is a historic town in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland. ...

Relations with Germany

In pursuit of its policy of neutrality, the Irish Government refused to close the German and Japanese embassies. In 1939, the German Government had very little intelligence on Ireland and Britain. This is because Hitler had hoped for a detente or alliance with Britain, who he considered the "natural allies" of Nazi Germany.^[16] When concerted efforts to build a reliable picture of British military strength did begin around 1939 - 1940, efforts were first made to infiltrate spies to Britain via Ireland, but these attempts consistently failed (See Operation Lobster & Operation Seagull). The Abwehr also made attempts to foster intelligence gathering links with the IRA, but found that the IRA was in no condition to be of serious use- these attempts were to occur during the period 1939 - 1943. The German military also drew up plans detailing how an invasion of Ireland might take place. These plans were titled Plan Green and any invasion was to act as a diversionary attack in support of a main attack to conquer Britain titled Operation Sealion. Both of these plans were shelved by 1942. When US Army troops began to be stationed in Northern Ireland in 1942, Plan Green was reprinted because there was a fear amongst the German High Command, (and the Irish Government), that the US Army may attempt an invasion of Éire/Ireland, following its occupation of Iceland (after the British invasion) and Greenland in 1941. These fears lead to another German intelligence plan- Operation Osprey, but it was abandoned when the feared American invasion failed to take place. For the Spanish amulet, see: Detente bala. ... In 1940 it was decided to send agents and saboteurs to infiltrate Britain from Norway and Northern France. ... Operation Seagull was a British action during the Second World War to destroy several Nazi-controlled industrial targets including a smelter at Arendal, with the help of Kompani Linge agents from Norway. ... Operation Green (Unternehmen Grün in German) often also referred to as Fall Grün (Case Green) or Plan Green (Plan Grün), was a fullscale operations plan for the invasion of the island of Ireland in support of Operation Sealion (Unternehmen Seelöwe in German). ... Operation Sealion (Unternehmen (Undertaking) Seelöwe in German) was a World War II German plan to invade the United Kingdom. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Map of Éire Éire (pronounced ) is the Irish name for Ireland. ... Operation Osprey (Unternehmen FischAdler in German) was a plan conceived by the German Foreign Ministry and Abwehr II. mid 1942. ...

The British also had a plan to attempt the reconquest of the entire Island in the eventuality of a German invasion. They had always sought to privately reassure de Valera that any invasion by their troops would be by invitation only. This scheme was titled Plan W and intricate details were worked out with the Irish government and military over how to react to a German invasion. The Irish military shared details of their defenses and military capabilities with the British and troops stationed in Northern Ireland. The reassurances from the British did not altogether console de Valera however, and he was frequently suspicious, while German forces still threatened Britain, that the British may invade the territory of Éire/Ireland. He did not know that the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Craigavon was urging London to seize the port at Cobh, or that attempts had been made to split the consenus over the Neutrality policy. Concessions such as relaxing of the claim on Lough Swilly to allow British navy and airforce patrols did go some way to easing the tension. As the war turned against Nazi Germany in their eastern campaign, and as the Abwehr became less and less effective, around 1943 - 1944, operations in the island of Ireland ceased to be of interest to the German Government and military and therefore the British. Overall, during the period the focus of de Valera was maintaining Irish neutrality. The Irish authorities pursuit of an aggressive campaign of internment against the IRA, including raising the Local Security Force (LSF), executions, and aggressive action by Irish Military Intelligence (G2) meant that the activities of the German Legation in Dublin were supervised closely and attempts to infiltrate spies into the country were quickly discovered. The guns of the treaty ports. Irish troops test fire their 9. ... The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland, appointed by the Governor of Northern Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. ... Sir James Craig, later Viscount Craigavon 1st Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ... Lough Swilly (Loch Súilí in Irish) in Ireland is a fjord-like body of water lying between the eastern side of the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal and the rest of northern Donegal. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... PowerPC G2, aka PowerPC 604 and PowerPC 604e PowerMac G2 PowerBook G2 G2_(mathematics) G2 is a U.S. military intelligence officer rank - see military intelligence. ...

Jewish victims of the Holocaust

Elements of Irish public opinion were slow to accept the nature of the Nazi regime and the changed world after emerging from the cocoon of neutrality. For example, in Kilkenny in 1945, a letter to a local newspaper declared that newsreel footage of Belsen was "all propaganda" and had been faked by the British using starving Indians.^[17] A "Limerick Leader" editorial in 1945 noted that, "The campaign against war criminals is strangely confined to those who happen to fight on the wrong side." However it continued to say that The Limerick Leader is a weekly local newspaper in Limerick, Ireland. ...

"Allied atrocities cannot excuse the monstrous barbarism of the Reich."^[18]

There was official indifference from the political establishment to the Jewish victims of the holocaust during and after the war. This was despite de Valera having knowledge of the crimes committed against Jewish victims of the the Holocaust as early as 1943.^[19] An example of this is the difficulty Jewish groups had in getting refugee status for Jewish children after the war ended, whilst at the same time, a plan to bring over four hundred Catholic Children from the Rhineland encountered no difficulties.^[20] The Department of Justice explained in 1948 that: Selection at the Auschwitz camp in 1944, where the Nazis chose whom to kill immediately and whom to use as slave labor or for medical experimentation. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ...

"It has always been the policy of the Minister for Justice to restrict the admission of Jewish aliens, for the reason that any substantial increase in our Jewish population might give rise to an anti-Semitic problem."^[21]

However, deValera over-ruled the Department of Justice and the 150 refugee Jewish children were brought to Ireland in 1948. In 1952 he again had to overrule the Department of Justice to admit five Orthodox families who were fleeing the Communists. In 1966, the Dublin Jewish community arranged the planting and dedication of the Eamon deValera Forest in Israel, near Nazareth, in recognition of his consistent support for Ireland's Jews.^[22]

On the occasion of the death of Adolf Hitler, de Valera paid a controversial visit to Hempel to express sympathy with the German people over the death of the Führer. This action has been defended as proper given the state's neutrality. Douglas Hyde, Ireland's president, also sent condolences [1], an action which enraged the United States minister as no similar action had taken place on the death of the United States President, Franklin D. Roosevelt.^[23] (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer (Leader) of Germany from 1934 until his death. ... (Fuehrer in English when umlauts are not used) is a proper noun meaning leader or guide in the German language. ... Douglas Hyde (Irish name Dubhghlas de hÍde) (17 January 1860 - 12 July 1949) was an Irish language scholar who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945. ... FDR redirects here. ...

The Emergency after the end of World War II

De Valera's reluctance to recognise a difference between World War II and previous European wars was illustrated by his reply to a radio broadcast by the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill on V-E Day. Churchill praised Britain's restraint in not occupying Ireland in order to secure the Western Approaches during the Battle of the Atlantic: In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician and author, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) was May 8, 1945, the date when the Allies during the Second World War formally celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitlers Reich. ... Battle of the Atlantic can refer to either of two naval campaigns, depending on context: World War I - First Battle of the Atlantic World War II - Second Battle of the Atlantic A Third Battle of the Atlantic was envisioned to be be part of any Third World War that arose...

"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. 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 was popular among many Irish nationalists.:

"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. 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. 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?"

After the end of the war, Hempel remained in Ireland and de Valera first resisted the return to Germany of arrested German agents, and then, at Hempel's request, the Irish Government opposed the outcome of the Nuremberg trials. Documents produced by the Department of External Affairs refused to accept the concept of a war criminal and compared the Nuremberg trials to the British use of the judicial system in Ireland against Nationalists. The Nuremberg Trials were the trials of officials involved in World War II and the Holocaust during the Nazi regime. ...

The returning Irish volunteers returned to indifference or even hostility. On the whole they saw themselves as defending Ireland as well as Britain and supported Irish neutrality. However, after the end of the war, United States personnel were allowed to wear their uniforms in Ireland, but not those who had served in the British forces. In addition, the Irish government cancelled the Remembrance Day march. Special legislation was introduced so that the 4000 Irish soldiers who had deserted to Britain (most after there was any threat to Irish neutrality) suffered additional punishment on their return. Opinions in the Republic on the Irish volunteers remain somewhat divided and the issue remains sensitive for many. For many years until they were not recognised by the Irish Government; however, in April 1995 Taoiseach John Bruton paid tribute to those who Wreaths of artificial poppies used as a symbol of remembrance Remembrance Day or Armistice Day is a day of commemoration observed in the Commonwealth of Nations and various European countries (including France and Belgium) to commemorate World War I and other wars. ... John Gerard Bruton (born May 18, 1947) was the ninth Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland. ...

"volunteered to fight against Nazi tyranny in Europe, at least 10,000 of whom were killed while serving in British uniforms. In recalling their bravery, we are recalling a shared experience of Irish and British people. We remember a British part of the inheritance of all who live in Ireland."

Footnotes

1. ^ Tim Pat Coogan de Valera ‘long fellow, short shadow’ page 585
2. ^ Joseph T Carroll “Ireland in the War Years” page 109
3. ^ These attempts were largely ineffectual due to a combination of Abwehr/Foreign Ministry incompetence and IRA weakness. See main article and series on IRA liaisons with Abwehr in World War II IRA Abwehr WW2.
4. ^ All Allied servicemen were released from internment by October 1944 while all Axis servicemen remained at the Curragh. Until 1942, it was not even a technical offence to aid the escape of an internee. Surface ships were excluded from the deal. See Fisk P.176-177. An example of this policy is the release into Northern Ireland of 6 officers inluding 4 generals that had crash landed in Galway on route from Africa on 15 January 1943. See Duggan P.184. Hempel reported in November 1943 that only eleven out of the forty allied internees remained interned. See Duggan P.171.
5. ^ See Duggan p.180
6. ^ See Fisk P.175-176
7. ^ The British paid for the food and clothing allowance of the orphans, but the Irish paid for their lodgings, attempts were also made to have the British paid for their hospital treatment, but it was dropped when the request was "unfavourably received" in London. See Fisk P.175-176
8. ^ see Duggan P.173
9. ^ See Duggan P.112
10. ^ According to the Irish Defence Department, there were "no International Conventions specifically governing the treatment of belligerent interees and accordingly it appears open to neutral States...to prescribe conditions of internment in whatever manner they think fit." This is why the Irish felt they could release British pilots but retain German ones. See Fisk P.176-177. de Valera argued that blow by blow parity returning German aircrews to German couldn't take place as they could bring back militarily valuable information. See Duggan P.185 although Hempel was to find out in 1943 that the Irish had been negotiating with the British over returning German internees. See Duggan P.171.
11. ^ This is thought to have occurred at the insistance of the American forces stationed in Northern Ireland. Hempel had been relaying Irish Army strength and troop movements to Berlin throughout the war, and he is also thought to have relayed weather reports to the German battleships "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" in February 1942. The British military had been intercepting and logging his transmissions. See Duggan P.180
12. ^ See Duggan P.185. In most cases, each Irish ship had "Éire" painted in large lettering on the side and decking, and flew the Flag of Ireland. Irish ships sunk by U-boat included the "Munster", the "Kerry Head", the "City of Limerick". The "SS. Kyleclare" was attacked by Ju 88's off Brownstown Head, County Waterford as well and the "City of Bremen" was sunk by German planes south-west of Mizen Head on 2 June 1942.
13. ^ See Duggan P.112 & P.132
14. ^ See Duggan P.135.
15. ^ See Duggan P.131 - 136.
16. ^ Hitler was a big fan of the British and their Empire, some recollections here.
17. ^ Also in Kilkenny the first prize in a fancy dress ball went to "the Beast of Belsen".
18. ^ See Fisk, Robert "In Time of War" pages 430-431 for details on Anti-semitism in Kilkenny & Limerick.
19. ^ Brian Girvin, 'De Valera's Diplomatic Neutrality', History Today, 56(3), p.50 (2006)
20. ^ Keogh, Dermot, "Jews in Twentieth-Century Ireland: Refugees, Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust" page 209-210. The plan to bring over Catholic German children was known as Operation Shamrock.
21. ^ Department of Justice Memorandum 'Admission of One Hundred Jewish children' 28 April 1948.
22. ^ The Jews of Ireland by Robert Tracy, published in the Summer 1999 edition of Judaism
23. ^ de Valera had protested vociferously to the American Government about its "invasion of Ireland" when US Troops had landed in Northern Ireland.

This article serves as an introduction to a series of articles about collaboration and intelligence sharing between three groups; The Irish Republican Army (IRA). ... Gerhard von Scharnhorst was a Prussian general. ... August von Gneisenau was a Prussian general. ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 The National Flag of Ireland (Irish: An Bhratach Náisiúnta), also known as the Irish tricolour, is the national flag of the Republic of Ireland. ... The Junkers Ju 88 was a WW2 Luftwaffe twin-engine multi-role aircraft. ... Categories: Ireland geography stubs | Headlands of Ireland ...

Sources/Further Information

• Fisk, Robert "In time of War: Ireland, Ulster, and the price of neutrality 1939 - 1945" (Gill & Macmillan) 1983 ISBN 0717124118
• Duggan, JP. "Herr Hempel at the German Legation in Dublin 1937 - 1945" (Irish Academic Press) 2003 ISBN 0716527464

See also

• History of the Republic of Ireland
• Minister for Supplies
• Plan Kathleen
• Operation Green
• IRA Abwehr WW2
• Ulster Defence Volunteers

The state known today as the Republic of Ireland came into being when twenty-six of the counties of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom (UK) in 1922. ... The Minister for Supplies was created by the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1939, to assist Ireland through the World War II, or The Emergency, as referred to by the Irish Government. ... Plan Kathleen, sometimes referred to as Artus Plan (Artus Plan in German), was a plan for the invasion of Northern Ireland sanctioned by Stephen Hayes Acting Irish Republican Army (IRA) Chief of Staff in 1940. ... Operation Green (Unternehmen Grün in German) often also referred to as Fall Grün (Case Green) or Plan Green (Plan Grün), was a fullscale operations plan for the invasion of the island of Ireland in support of Operation Sealion (Unternehmen Seelöwe in German). ... This article serves as an introduction to a series of articles about collaboration and intelligence sharing between three groups; The Irish Republican Army (IRA). ... The Ulster Defence Volunteers (UDV) and later the Ulster Home Guard were a force recruited by the Government of Northern Ireland to perform the role of the British Home Guard in Northern Ireland during World War II. The UDV was recruited following the formation of the Home Guard in Britain...

External links

• Article on 'The Challenge Of The Irish Volunteers of World War II'
• Article on the 'Belfast Blitz'
• Largely anecdotal account related to the British position on Irish neutrality and contacts with U-Boats
• Convoy Map taken from a Uboat that surrendered at Lisahally, County Londonderry.