Latest / The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence — Fexingo History / Ireland's Neutrality in WWII: The Emergency and Beyond
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we're in 1939. Europe's about to explode into the Second World War, and Ireland — barely two decades past its own brutal civil war — makes a decision that will define its international identity for generations. Eamon de Valera announces that Ireland will remain neutral. Luna: But wasn't that an incredibly risky move, given Ireland's relationship with Britain? Lucas: Enormously risky. The British had spent centuries as the dominant power, and many in the new Irish state still harbored deep resentment. But there was also a practical reality: Ireland's military was tiny, its economy weak. De Valera argued that staying out of the war was the only way to preserve Irish sovereignty and unity. Lucas: He called it 'The Emergency' — a deliberately bland term to downplay the crisis. But behind the scenes, things were anything but bland. Churchill was furious. He saw Irish neutrality as a stab in the back, especially since Northern Ireland — still part of the UK — was a crucial staging ground for the Battle of the Atlantic. Luna: What did de Valera do to keep the country out of it? Lucas: He walked a tightrope. Publicly, he insisted on strict neutrality. Privately, there was a quiet but real cooperation with the Allies. For example, the Irish government allowed RAF planes to overfly a corridor in County Donegall for anti-submarine patrols. They also shared weather reports with the British, which were vital for D-Day planning. Lucas: But it wasn't always smooth. The German legation in Dublin — headed by a man named Eduard Hempel — was allowed to operate throughout the war, which made the Allies deeply suspicious. There were fears that German spies might use Ireland as a base to gather intelligence on British shipping. Luna: Did any actual attacks happen on Irish soil? Lucas: Yes. The most famous incident was the bombing of Dublin's North Strand on May 31, 1941. German planes dropped four bombs on the city, killing 38 people and destroying dozens of homes. The official explanation was that the pilots got lost — which was probably true, given the blackout conditions. But it still felt like a violation. Lucas: There were other bombs too — in County Wexford, in County Donegall — some from the Luftwaffe, some from the RAF accidentally jettisoning payloads. The Irish government protested every time, but they never used those incidents to join the war. Luna: What about the thousands of Irish who volunteered to fight? I've heard that more Irishmen fought in the British army than in the Irish army. Lucas: That's absolutely true. An estimated 50,000 to 70,000 people from neutral Ireland joined the British armed forces. Tens of thousands more worked in British factories or on the land. De Valera's government officially discouraged it — they even threatened to revoke citizenship — but they mostly looked the other way. For many Irish people, it was a matter of conscience or just economic necessity. Lucas: And there was also a smaller number of Irish who were sympathetic to the Nazis, particularly among extreme republicans who saw Germany as a potential ally against Britain. But that was a tiny fringe. The vast majority of the public supported neutrality. Luna: So how did the war end for Ireland? Did de Valera's neutrality survive? Lucas: It did — but not without controversy. In May 1945, when the war in Europe ended, de Valera did something that outraged the Allies: he went to the German legation in Dublin and signed the book of condolence for Adolf Hitler's death. Now, he later explained that it was a matter of diplomatic protocol — he had done the same for Roosevelt. But the optics were terrible. Lucas: Churchill gave a bitter radio broadcast on VE Day, attacking Irish neutrality and saying that 'the hand of the Irish government was against us.' De Valera responded with a conciliatory speech that acknowledged Irish independence was a legacy of British democracy — it was a masterful political moment, but the rift was deep. Luna: Did Ireland stay neutral after the war too? Lucas: Yes — and that became a defining feature of Irish foreign policy. Ireland didn't join NATO in 1949 because NATO included Britain, and joining would have meant implicitly accepting the partition of Northern Ireland. It only joined the United Nations in 1955. This neutrality continued right through the Cold War, though it evolved: Ireland was an active member of UN peacekeeping missions, like in the Congo in the 1960s. Lucas: So neutrality wasn't just about World War II. It became a badge of Irish sovereignty, a way to say, 'We are not Britain.' It shaped everything from trade policy to cultural identity. Even today, Irish neutrality is a core political issue — though it's been reinterpreted many times. Luna: I never realized how much of a tightrope Ireland walked. It's not just sitting out a war — it's a whole statement about who you are. Lucas: Exactly. And it's a story that shows how a small nation's choice, even a seemingly passive one, can be an act of profound self-definition. For Ireland, The Emergency was about survival — but it also planted the seeds of its post-colonial identity on the world stage.