THE IMPACT OF WORLD WAR 2 ON IRELAND, NORTH AND SOUTH

1. THE IMPACT OF WORLD WAR 2 ON IRELAND, NORTH AND SOUTH

2. Neutrality • 1939 State of ‘Emergency’ declared. Why? • Independence • Anti-British feeling. • Avoid further damage and death.

3. Spies • Army intelligence unit G2 set up. • Nazi sympathizers under surveillance. • All German agents captured quickly except Hermann Goertz, who reported that the IRA was ineffective.

4. The IRA • Sean Russell, Chief-of-staff, ordered a bombing campaign in the UK. (2 hanged, Behan) • Dev worried that Great Britain would have an excuse to invade • 1939 Offences against the State Act allowed internment. • 1939 Magazine fort raid led to the Curragh. • Russel died on a German submarine bound for Ireland (to await arms?). • When Dev found out the IRA were talking to the Germans, he interned 500. • 3 were hanged for killing Guards and 3 allowed die on hunger strike. • By 1943 the IRA had almost ceased to exist.

5. The Attitude of the Ambassadors • The British (Sir John Maffey) understood neutrality and was happy with the covert support • The Germans (EdouardHempel) urged not cause a British invasion of Ireland. • The Americans (David Gray) disliked Dev and wanted pressure on the Irish to join the war.

6. 1940 Churchill in Power. • Sent Malcolm MacDonald to promise Dev a united Ireland if we joined up. • Dev refused because he did not believe them and they looked like losing the war at the time. Churchill wanted to invade but did not because: • A friendly neutral better than a hostile ally. • Afraid of alienating the US, Canada and Australia. • He hoped that by limiting supplies to Ireland, and refusing to sell us arms, that we would join. This had theopposite effect.

7. Defence • Army expanded and LDF set up. • Fishermen and yachtsmen patrolled the coast.

8. Supporting the Allies • To make sure they did not invade this was kept quiet. Methods: • Food • Many went to work in UK • 40,000 from the South enlisted • Weather reports • Prisoners allowed an easy time.

9. Life During the Emergency In the South. Supplies • 1939 Lemass became Minister of Supplies. • German subs were sinking British ships. Lemass did the following: • Irish Shipping • Farmers ordered to grow crops. • Rationing • Use of private cars banned. • Turf replaced coal. Voluntary turf-cutting campaigns. • ‘Wages Standstill Order’ but prices went up. • People struggled but the spirit was good and Lemasshandling of the situation was a success.

10. Censorship • Strict. • No comments on the progress of the war allowed. • No favouritism allowed. • No films or radio on the war.

11. Bombs: 1941 North Strand. 27 killed .

12. 1944 Election • Devrefused David Gray’srequest (‘the American Note’) to close Axis missions to Dublin while plans for D-Day went ahead. • The allies then cut off all travel and communications with UK. • Dev published the American Note as an implied threat and did well in the election.

13. The End of the War • In April 1945 Roosevelt and then Hitler died. • Devpaid his respects to Grayand to Hempel. • Big mistake. • Saved the day with his reply to Churchill’s rebuke after the war.

14. Ireland stayed neutral because: • Germany did not get this far • Most allied ships passed the north of Ireland and not south • Public opinion in the US.

15. Northern Ireland during World War 2 • Unionists happy to be able to show loyalty. • This turned to shock at Churchill’s offer of unity. • The government of NI were old and did little to prepare. • Catholic Bishops protests meant conscription not extended to NI. • Nationalists joined up as there were no jobs. • The only NI person to receive a VC was a Catholic. • 700 IRA interned but the IRA had greater support than in the South. • IRA killed 5 RUC

16. Northern Ireland during World War 2 • 1940 100,000 British troops stationed in NI in case of a German invasion of the island. • Rationing. • Blackout. • Craigavon died in late 1940 • 1941-43 JM Andrews took over. • He was 70 and made very little change

17. Industry • H and W produced 140 warships • Short’s built 1200 Stirling bombers. • Linen industry boomed. • Lots of engineering of parts supplied from NI. • Agriculture did well.

18. Sir Basil Brooke • After the bombing of Belfast Andrews asked to resign • Brooke took over and brought in younger ministers.

19. Strategic Importance • Germans controlled the sea, south of Ireland, so the northern route to the US important. • A big naval and air base in Derry patrolled the seas for German submarines. • After 1941 Americans were based in NI to prepare for the North African campaign • 250,000 arrived for D-Day. • The German U-boat fleet were made surrender in Derry in recognition of it’s role in the war.

20. A Blitz on Belfast (case study) • Air raid shelters were eventually built. There was not enough and they were above ground. • Not enough anti-aircraft guns and only a few barrage balloons. • Hospitals and fire service unprepared. • False alarms caused complacency

21. 7th and 8th of April 1941 • Harbour area hit. • 13 killed and not much damage. • Only 3000 responded to government calls for evacuation.

22. 15th and 16th April • 90 Junkers and Heinkels came in waves. • Flares dropped first. Then high explosives, incendiaries and parachute mines. • Smoke screens in the docklands led to the Germans missing their targets and hitting working class areas such as New Lodge, Lower Shankill and Antrim road. • 30 died when a parachute bomb hid an air raid shelter. • At least 900 died. Many not identified. • Attempt made to bury Catholics and Protestants separately. • Dev sent 70 fire-fighters north but the water mains had been cut and there was little they could do. • Half the cities population left, many sleeping in ditches.

23. 5th May • Clear night. • H and W destroyed and did not resume production for 6 months. • Not as many casualties

24. Conclusion • Most severe except London. • No more as the Germans turned their attention to USSR from June 1941 • 1100 dead • People outside the city who offered refuge were shocked at the poverty of the people.

25. 1945-49 Partition Consolidated • By being part of the war, NI strengthened its position in the UK. • Neutrality had distanced the South further from the UK.

26. 1945 British General Election • Clement Atlee and Labour came to power. • The Beverage Report and the Welfare State brought a flow of money to NI. • Nationalists benefited, as they were poorer. • 1947 free secondary education and generous third level grants. • Catholics made good use of this as they could not get jobs anyway.

27. The South After WW2 • FiannaFail had been in power a long time. Bad for democracy. • Still the biggest party but had lost support due to poor economic conditions • Sean McBride formed Clan Na Poblachta. It attracted socialist and republican elements. • 1948 Election an Inter-Party government formed between Fine Gael, Labour and Clan naPoblachta. • Mulcahy had replaced Cosgrave, who had retired in 1944. • McBride refused to accept Mulcahy, so John A Costello became Taoiseach.

28. Leaving the Commonwealth. • McBride had campaigned for the removal of the 1936 External Relations Act which kept our link to the Commonwealth. • The other parties were happy to see it go but were worried about trade and emigrants. • 1948 a trade agreement guaranteed our free access to British markets. • 1948 the British passed a Nationality Act that gave citizenship rights to Irish people. • In Canada, Costello was asked by a journalist if Ireland was leaving and he blurted that we were. • British annoyed but support for the Irish from Canada and Australia stopped them doing anything. • 1949 we became a Republic.