Ireland during World War II

Ireland during World War II, Leaving Cert History, Irish History,

1. The Emergency

2. Neutrality Ireland did not take sides in World War II , which broke out in Sept 1939. Who was fighting in World War II? Why do you think Ireland wanted to remain neutral? What part of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1938 made Neutrality possible?

3. Why Neutrality? An expression of independence from Britain and a protest at their occupation of the North. Irish experience of The League- Due to the failure of the League of Nations de Valera believed that small nations should not be used as pawns by bigger ones. Defence would not have been possible due to the size of army. Least divisive policy. Made possible by return of Treaty Ports .

4. The Emergency During WWII Ireland was in danger of invasion by both sides and endured shortages and rationing. For this reason WWII in Ireland was known as the Emergency. A ration book.

5. The Emergency Powers Act The Dáil declared neutrality the day after war broke out. The Emergency Powers Act was passed which gave the gov almost unlimited power to secure the safety of the state.

6. National Security A Department for the Coordination of Defensive Measures was set up , under Frank Aiken. The Army was increased from 7000 to 37,0000. The LDF were increased to 100,000. A coast watch was put into operation. Gas masks were distributed to citizens and air raid shelters were built. But the country had only old planes and the Navy had only 6 motor torpedo boats and 2 gunboats- Dept. of Finance not willing to spend. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

7. Other Neutrality Measures Censorship of the press and radio and radio was introduced. There was no weather forecasts.

8. Friendly Neutrality? Information was given to Britain concerning all aliens(foreigners) in Ireland. Ireland allowed infringement of Irish airspace over Donegal by the British and US. Weather reports were secretly given to Britain.. Allied pilots who crashed in Ireland were returned whereas German pilots were interned. British boats were allowed into Irish water for air-sea rescue. Ireland sent fire brigades to the North after the bombing of Belfast.

9. Neutrality in Danger The IRA held with the notion that “England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity”. They began a bombing campaign in Britain in 1939. The IRA raided the government magazine fort in the Phoenix Park and stole a million rounds of ammunition. They collaborated with the Nazis- German Spies landed to encourage IRA attacks on the border. IRA leader Sean Russel went to Germany to seek Nazi help. De Valera clamped down hard on the IRA. The Offences against the State Act was introduced in 1939 which gave the Gardai wide powers of arrest. 500 were interned in the Curragh. 3 died on hunger strike and 6 were executed. The IRA were almost wiped out by the end of the war.

10. Dealing with the Great Powers: Britain The greatest threat to Irish neutrality occurred between mid-1940 and the invasion of Russia in June 1941. The British ambassador, Sir John Maffey got on well with de Valera and was not in favour of invading Ireland . Churchill however saw the war as a great moral crusade and firmly believed Ireland should not be neutral. He wanted the Treaty Ports- de Valera refused. He promised Dev he would end partition if Ireland entered the war- de Valera refused as he knew it was not in Churchill’s power to deliver it. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

11. Dealing with the Great Powers: Britain However Britain did not want to invade Ireland because: Ireland provided food Ireland provided labour Irish soldiers were fighting in the British Army They were able to patrol the North Atlantic fromm bases in Northern Ireland. . Churchill’s victory speech after the war was deeply critical of Ireland. De Valera’s response has gone down in history as one of his greatest and most popular speeches.

12. Dealing with the Great Powers: Germany The German Ambassador , Dr. Edward Hempel wanted to keep Ireland out of the war and discouraged sending spies to Ireland. Germany had a plan to invade Ireland called “Operation Green” German planes bombed Ireland- in Wexford 3 people were killed and 28 people killed in the bombing of the North Strand area of Dublin. Ireland was clear of the danger of invasion after June 1941. De Valera visited the home of Dr Hempel to express his condolences on the death of Hitler.

13. Dealing with the Great Powers: America David Gray was the US representative in Ireland. He did not get on with de Valera. Frank Aiken went to the US in 1941 but was refused military supplies for Ireland. The US distrusted the German spies in Ireland as D- Day approached. In 1944 the US requested to the closure of the German and Japanese legates(embassies) in Ireland. The Irish- US relationship worsened considerably on de Valera’s refusal. De Valera expressed condolences to the US on the death of Roosevelt. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

14. The Economy The gov was given wide powers to regulate supplies and prices of goods. Sean Lemass was made Minister of Supplies. He set up Irish shipping to replace the British ships which Irish trade had been dependent on. He bought eight ships and chartered five more. 152 Irish seamen died during the war.

15. The Economy There was a shortage of raw materials. This resulted in: The end of private motoring due to petrol shortages. The trains being run on turf and therefore going very slowly- the Dublin to Cork service was reduced to one a week. Gas and electricity were rationed- the glimmer man were gas inspectors. There was rationing of clothes , bread and tea.

16. The Economy Wages were controlled- Wages Standstill Order 1941 Inflation high- 70% So there was a fall in living standards

17. The Economy Industry was hit: There was a loss of essential raw materials- only 25% petrol, 16% of gas and coal, no domestic coal. There was a limit on the use of gas and electricity. Industries dependent on imports were badly hit. The policy of self-sufficiency suffered.

18. The Economy Agriculture was hit; There was a shortage of fertilisers, feedstuffs and machinery. In 1940 the gov introduced compulsory tillage and while wheat per acre rose , overall production fell. Dairy , cattle and sheep production was not directly affected- they continued to export to Britain, though they were not sufficiently recovered from the Economic War to take full advantage of Britain’s demand. Also farms hit by foot and mouth disease in 1941. Britain also controlled prices of imports.

19. The Economy Unemployment was high. However it was eased by the demand for workers in Britain(emigration) and the remittances the Irish sent home. It was also eased by Irish joining the British Army, about 50,000. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

20. Assessment Neutrality was maintained mainly because the Great Powers believed the disadvantages of invading Ireland outweighed the benefits. The Irish economy suffered badly. Neutrality bolstered independence. Partition was reinforced because the North was part of the war and were heavily bombed and the Northern economy prospered during the war.