During World War 2, Ireland declared neutrality. This was difficult to maintain given Ireland's reliance on imports and vulnerability to invasion. The Irish government interned IRA members and German spies to preserve neutrality. Ireland experienced shortages due to supply issues. Dublin was bombed by Germany, though they claimed it was accidental. Overall, Ireland balanced maintaining neutrality while supporting the Allied cause through trade.

1. Neutral Ireland in World War 2

2. Neutrality
 Neutrality for Ireland meant taking no sides in the war
 Many people were sympathetic to the Allied cause –
however Ireland was too small to fight the Germans
 IRA was a problem – used outbreak of war to attack
England – fears that England would invade Ireland in
response
 IRA men and German spies rounded up and interned by
De Valera

3. An
island
nation in
times of
war...

4. Ireland in war
 Ireland had no navy
 No effective Air Force
 Very small army compared to Germany/Britain
 Depended on imports (by ship) for many things e.g. coal,
oil, tea, certain foods
 Also vulnerable to invasion by Germany (or Britain)
 This meant that Ireland faced severe shortages of fuel
and other necessities

5. Shortages – a ration book

6. Glimmer Man – a person who made sure you weren’t using too
much gas during World War 2
Ireland had to import gas and oil – why was there so little available?

7. Dublin bombed by Germans
 Why bomb a neutral country?
 Official explanation was that the bomber was “lost”
 More likely it was a warning to Irish Government – “be
sure you stay neutral or this will happen to you!!”

8. Dublin bombed by Germans

9. A neutral country?
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onlGWRXkZv0
 Warplanes occasionally crashed onto mountains around
the country – esp Kerry and Donegal – if the pilots were
British they were sent back home, if they were German
they were locked up in Mountjoy prison!
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/24101413@N03/3559392
046

10. How did Ireland stay neutral?
 Britain in the way of a German Invasion
 Large British and American army in Northern Ireland
acted as a deterrent against Germans
 De Valera was softly pro-British (imprisoned German
spies)
 Neutral Ireland could supply food to Britain – meant
Britain was able to survive WW2 – thus the British were
inclined to “leave Ireland alone”

11. 2009 Higher Paper

12. Matchup
Ration book These were a threat to shipping
Glimmer Man Irish name for World War 2
Navy One of these a week for everyone
Submarine Taoiseach during WW2
Turf Checked for overuse of gas
Teabag Used when shopping for groceries
Emergency Dev’s “right hand man”
De Valera German excuse for bombing
Lemass Ireland didn’t have one of these
Lost Pilot Used to fuel trains

13. Changing Ireland 1945-66
 Because it was Neutral, Ireland did not receive any aid under
the “Marshall Plan”
 For this and other reasons, Ireland remained poor, whereas
the rest of Europe began to get rich
 Emigration was a big issue at the time, the population of the
Republic dropped until it hit 2.9M (little over half of what it is
today)
 De Valera and Fianna Fail lost the election because of the poor
state of the country’s finances (just as happened recently!)

14. Mother and
Child Scheme -
introduced by
inter-party
Government

15. New Social Policies

16. 2013 Higher Level Paper

17. Economic Policies Changed
Retires as Taoiseach, 1959 Taoiseach, 1959 1966

18. DeValera and Lemass
 De Valera was in favour of Protectionism
 Lemass was in favour of Free Trade
 De Valera did not want foreigners setting up companies
in Ireland
 Lemass encouraged it
 De Valera ignored Northern Ireland and never met the
Northern Ireland Prime Minister
 Lemass met him shortly after becoming Taoiseach

19. O’Neill (NI PM) and Lemass

20. What’s
unusual
about the
background?

21. Lemass’s right hand man –
TK Whitaker, Civil Servant

22. 2006 Higher Paper

23. US President
John F Kennedy in Ireland (1963)

24. Free Education – O’Malley

25. RTE and it’s impact
 “there was never sex in Ireland until Teilifis Eireann went
on the air” – Oliver J Flanagan TD

26. Late late Show – 1960s

27. Ireland joins the UN (1955)

28. Republic’s Leaders
 So far the leaders of the Irish Republic (Taoiseach) have come
from either the Fianna Fail Party or the Fine Gael party
 Every Taoiseach had successes (and failures).

29. Changes in the Catholic Church

30. Vatican II
 Mass in the Vernacular instead of Latin – because of
Vatican II we have masses in English
 Redesign of Churches – a more “friendly” look
 Ecumenism was promoted – talking to other religious
groups
 Promotion of Peace on earth
Pope John 23rd, reformer
of the Church

31. Ecumenism – different religions
coming together

32. Ecumenism in the Irish Flag

33. Ireland Joins the EEC (1973)
Taoiseach Jack Lynch

34. Impact
 Agriculture – Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
 Structural fund – helped us build roads, better schools etc.
 Fishing – Ireland had to let other countries fish in our waters
 New rights and freedoms – an end to the “marriage bar”
 Access to a large market to sell our goods
 Replaced Punt with Euro

35. Summing Up
 Ireland 1922-45 – Setting up a new state, Rise of DeValera,
World War 2 in Ireland
 1945 – 1959 – economic stagnation. Mother and Child
Scheme. DeValera still in power. Depressing, backward time!
 1959 – 1966 – Lemass era. Economy develops. New Industries
and new social freedoms.
 1970s – Ireland joins EEC (Later EU) – Troubles in Northern
Ireland
 1980s – Recession, more emigration
 1990s – Celtic Tiger. We’re all rich!
 2008 – Economic Recession, We’re all poor....

36. 2007 Higher Level Paper