Éire's neutrality during World War Two

During the 1930s, the government of Éire frequently stated its commitment to independence in foreign policy.

In April 1939 de Valera made it clear he would keep his country out of any potential war.

On 4th September 1939, three days after Germany invaded Poland, the Dáil passed the Emergency Powers Act,
giving the government extensive powers over the country.

De Valera declared Éire would remain neutral in the Second World War, which was referred to as 'The Emergency'.

Éire was the only dominion in the Commonwealth not to join the war.

Why did Éire remain neutral?

Neutrality was a way of showing Éire’s independence from Britain.

This policy had been made possible by the return of the Treaty Ports in 1938.

Éire was not equipped to fight a war because its army was small and its weak economy meant money was too scarce
to be spent on military action.

De Valera feared supporting the war would split the government and country, and although many sympathised with
the Allied cause, the majority of the Irish population wanted neutrality because it was a British, not an Irish, war.

Some people felt more of a connection with Germany than Britain given the former's assistance during the 1916
Rising. Other countries, such as the USA, had declared their neutrality in 1939, and Éire followed their example.

Why did Britain want an end to Éire's neutrality?

As the war continued Éire came under increasing pressure from both sides of the Atlantic to join the fighting.

Britain made several attempts to persuade Éire to enter the struggle, especially after Winston Churchill succeeded
Chamberlain as Prime Minister of Britain in May 1940.

The British wanted to end Éire's neutrality because::

 Britain was suffering heavy shipping loses in the Atlantic. Re-routing British merchant ships to ports in Northern
Ireland, instead of using ports in Éire, was placing a great strain on the vital supply route across the Atlantic from the USA
 Britain was worried Éire might be invaded and used by Germany as a base to attack it from, effectively becoming a
‘stepping stone’ to Britain
 Éire did not have blackout regulations. Therefore, Northern Ireland was an easily identifiable target for the Luftwaffe.

How did the Allies attempt to get Éire to join the war?
As the war continued Éire came under increasing pressure from both sides of the Atlantic to join the fighting.

Britain made several political and economic attempts to persuade Éire to enter the struggle, especially after Winston
Churchill succeeded Chamberlain as Prime Minister of Britain in May 1940.

Political pressure

In June 1940, Churchill proposed the ending of the partition of Ireland in return for British forces using Éire's naval
bases.

De Valera refused the offer because he was unsure if the British would honour the decision after the war, especially if
the unionists were unwilling.

He thought Britain might lose the war so the promise would be worthless. He also did not want to compromise Éire's
hard won independence from Britain.
 Several subsequent attempts by Churchill in 1941 and 1942 to secure an end to Éire's neutrality were unsuccessful.

Economic pressure

Britain reduced the number of its ships used both to transport goods to Éire and to protect Irish cargo ships. Éire did
not receive international financial aid under the USA's Lend-Lease programme because of its neutrality.

Propaganda pressure

After the USA joined the war in December 1941, its President, F D Roosevelt, also put pressure on Éire to join the
Allies.

He felt Éire’s neutrality was detrimental to the war effort, so a media campaign portraying de Valera as pro-German
was launched.

Relations deteriorated further in 1942 when, in spite of de Valera’s protests, US troops arrived in Northern Ireland to
train and to help with defence.

What actions did Éire take during 'the Emergency'?

Maintaining neutrality was difficult during the war. To achieve it, Éire's government did the following:

 The Dáil used its extensive new powers under the Emergency Powers Act 1939. There was strict censorship of the
press and radio. No negative comments were permitted and weather reports were not published in case they helped either
side in the war.
 De Valera used the Offences Against the State Act 1939 and the Treason Act to deal decisively with the IRA. He was
determined the activities of the IRA would not endanger Éire's neutrality
Éire ensured it received essential supplies previously brought by British ships as de Valera set up a Ministry of
Supplies under Sean Lemass.

The government also established the Irish Shipping Company. By the end of the war it had fifteen ships which had
carried over one million tons of cargo to Éire.

Éire's defences were strengthened. The army was expanded from 19,000 men to over 40,000 and new armoured cars
were acquired. A Local Defence Volunteers Reserve force was established, though it was poorly equipped.
 Six light torpedo boats were purchased, and war ships and submarines belonging to other nations were not allowed in
Éire's territorial waters.

Fishermen and amateur yachtsmen formed a Coastal Patrol to watch for signs of invasion.

De Valera had had initially declared the IRA illegal in 1936. Its activities included attacks on the new political
party, Fine Gael (formed in 1933 from the older political party Cumann na nGaedheal and the Blueshirts).

In January 1939 the IRA Chief of Staff, Sean Russell, gave the British four days to withdraw from Ireland and he
later began a bombing campaign in England, which resulted in six people being killed in Coventry.

The IRA also stole one million rounds of ammunition from a Dublin armoury and Russell visited Germany, resulting
in several German agents parachuting into Éire.

As a consequence, approximately 1,000 IRA members were interned, six IRA men were hanged and three hunger
strikers died. By 1943 IRA activities had almost ceased.

What did 'Benevolent Neutrality' mean?

Although officially neutral, Éire did help the Allies in a number of ways.

Officially Éire was neutral during World War Two. For example, when Hitler and Roosevelt died, de Valera visited
the Dublin embassies of both countries to convey his official condolences.

However, de Valera did co-operate with Britain in a number of important ways:

 Éire allowed British airmen who crashed on its territory to return home, but German pilots were interned
 In 1941 fire crews from Drogheda and Dundalk helped when Belfast was blitzed by the Luftwaffe
 The RAF was allowed to fly over the Donegal Air Corridor in order to patrol the Western Approaches during the Battle
of the Atlantic, saving British planes a 100-mile detour
 In 1941 de Valera banned the German Ambassador, Dr Hempel, from using his radio to contact the Third Reich and in
1943 he confiscated the radio, thereby limiting the Ambassador's ability to communicate Allied manoeuvres to Berlin
 Weather reports were secretly transmitted to the Allies, and proved very valuable during the D-day landings in June
1944
 In February 1945 de Valera gave permission for the British to establish secret radar bases in Éire
Plans were drawn up by both Britain and Éire officials for joint co-operation if Germany invaded and for the British
army based in Northern Ireland to move into Éire.

However, all co-operation was kept secret. Most members of the British and Irish government were unaware of it.

What impact did the war have on Éire?

Despite neutrality, almost every aspect of life in Éire was affected.

The economy shrank

 Many items were in short supply because 95% of imports had previously been transported by British ships
 Agricultural production decreased due to a decline in the import of fertilisers
 The scarcity of coal meant electricity was available for only a few hours each day. Irish turf was a poor substitute. By
the end of 1940 there was very little petrol in Éire
 New industries withered because of a shortage of raw materials.
The public suffered

 Wages did not keep pace with inflation

 Unemployment soared and many people went to Britain and Northern Ireland for work. 50,000 Irish people joined the
British armed forces
 Rationing of bread, butter and clothing was introduced, leading to increased smuggling and the emergence of black
market trade. Fruit and chocolate were almost unavailable
 Diseases like TB increased because of lack of food and heating
 Thirty-four people died and several hundred houses were destroyed when Luftwaffe bombs accidentally fell on Éire in
1941
Nevertheless, Éire was affected less than Britain and Northern Ireland.