During World War II, Ireland decided to remain neutral despite pressure from both sides. Ireland did not want to support the UK, which still controlled part of Ireland, or Nazi Germany. While Ireland remained publicly neutral, it also secretly provided weather reports and intelligence to help Allied forces. Some Irish citizens still volunteered to fight or work for the UK during the war. Ireland's neutrality allowed it to avoid direct involvement but also attracted some criticism for not more openly supporting the Allies.

1. Ireland During the Second World War

2. Ireland During the Second World War

3. Blue Hat Overview

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9. Ireland During the Second World War World War II was referred to as The Emergency by the Irish government…

10. Ireland During the Second World War In the course of the war an estimated 70,000 individually motivated citizens of neutral Ireland served as volunteers in the British Armed Forces (and another estimated 50,000 from Northern Ireland. Some 200,000 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

11. Ireland During the Second World War 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.

12. Ireland During the Second World War On 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.

13. Ireland During the Second World War 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.

14. 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. Ireland During the Second World War

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20. Ireland During the Second World War 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.

21. Ireland During the Second World War 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 

22. Ireland During the Second World War 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."

23. Ireland During the Second World War 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 

24. Ireland During the Second World War 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 

25. Ireland During the Second World 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?"

26. 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.

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32. Summary of New Facts What did we all learn together ?

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