On 6 August 1940 Garda William Cullen of Belmullet station received a phone call from coastwatchers at the nearby Annagh Head lookout post (LOP). He learned that the Atlantic currents had washed ashore the dead body of a British soldier. Cullen cycled to Annagh Head to investigate. With the coastwatchers he searched the body. Among … Read more
Returning home explores, without being sentimental or shrill, the post-war experiences in Ireland of the 130,000 Irish men and women from widely different backgrounds who joined the British military during World War II. Ireland was the only European neutral whose nationals voluntarily joined a belligerent power on a large scale. Other 1939 neutrals were either … Read more
Irish history, as recent public controversies about republican violence during the War of Independence have made clear, remains an ideological minefield. Against this background, making a film about one of the most controversial republicans of the last century, Frank Ryan, presents obvious challenges. Before the first scene of The enigma of Frank Ryan had been … Read more
At the time of writing there is still no word from Attorney General Máire Whelan on the modus operandi of Minister for Defence Alan Shatter’s recommendation that the c. 5,000 Irish soldiers who deserted the Irish Army during World War II be pardoned. She will need the wisdom of Solomon to make her decision. How, … Read more
In 1939, as World War II approached, countries looking at what had happened in the Spanish Civil War prepared for a new form of warfare—attack on civilians from the air. In preparation for this the Irish government purchased 300,000 gasmasks, and a ‘beehive’ shelter was designed by the Irish Defence Forces to resist the blast … Read more