Why Didn't Ireland Fight in WW2?

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[@Gravity_History]

FULL VIDEO: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5fckHiJbdGWprM CORRECTION: Ireland was not yet formally declared a republic until 1949, but was still operating under a republican constitution.

[@brownrice9147]

Your pronunciations were pretty good, good job

[@richard-fish-monger]

Nice job fucking up something that you could Google before posting. I suggest doing research next time

[@irishvalentine]

nah bro i got this 1922: self governing rights 1937: Bunreacht na hÉireann (modern constitution) is passed declaring it a republic 1949 is not the correct date of declaration and dont dare tell me im wrong because i know my own nation's history than anyone else

[@irishvalentine]

also good job on the facts but one crucial thing you shouldve mentioned is how screwed up our economy got during the war

[@patm8622]

You seriously need to update your information.

[@magnumopus1628]

I totally get the sentiment of the Irish of not wanting to join the war alongside the UK, but I have the *upmost respect* for those 70.000 volunteers. 🙏💪

[@shonagriffiths8907]

​@@kitkat47chrysalis95 De Valera walked into the German Embassy in Dublin and signed a book of condolance for the death of Hitler even as the allies liberated the concentration camps in Eastern Europe and Germany and exposed the horrors there. Meanwhile when the Irish who fought with the allies against the nazis returned home they were discriminated against and not allowed to take up any government or civil service jobs. That is why one of my Irish grandfathers ended up in Scotland after the war. He was a republican but like many others he understood what victory for the fascists would mean for the world and he paid a price for it but to his dying day though he missed Ireland he felt he could never have stayed neutral considering what Hitler was doing in Europe.

[@JohnSmith-lp8wt]

​@@shonagriffiths8907 . least anyone forget the English did mote then there share of killing civilians around the world during there domination of the world.

[@shonagriffiths8907]

@@kitkat47chrysalis95 In 1940 at the start of Operation Sea lion (the battle of Britain) a German general called Franz Six was tasked with drawing up the plans for the governance of Britain after the invasion. His plans involved sending death squads to kill Britain's 300,000 Jews. Putting the Duke of Windsor on the throne. Invadìng the Republic of Ireland and making it part of Britain again.Young fit men from both Britain and Ireland would be transported overseas to work in forced labour camps as slaves. (They were already doing that to the Eastern Europeans and the Dutch). Still think we shouldn't of fought?

[@bevanfletcher6563]

​@@shonagriffiths8907 Thank you, that's about what I was going to say, I'd also add that Ireland harboured Nazi war criminals after war.

[@shonagriffiths8907]

@@kitkat47chrysalis95 How exactly do you do that? The German High Command had their own agenda. They didn't want peace. This was not a defensive war. It was an expansion ist one. They wanted to remove every Jew from Europe by murdering them. They had started to re institute a European slave class. You can bow the knee to that if you like but Hell will freeze over before we will.

[@zackthejuggalo9358]

Those who volunteered and returned home were hated in some cases for fighting for the British

[@lasigh3883]

Rightly so.

[@davidw1634]

@@lasigh3883 yeah but against the nazis ? You think if England fell Ireland would be safe !?

[@lasigh3883]

@@davidw1634 Remind me what the UK's close ally, the USSR, did in Poland and then across central and eastern Europe! LOL

[@unhhgcrxexhjvuvujchcrzwzwz7956]

@@lasigh3883 for sure.

[@crumpetgamer]

​@@lasigh3883 u an idiot?

[@forlorndream1400]

My father was one of those 70,000 volunteers. He worked his passage to England and enlisted upon arrival in Sept 1939. He had no money, minimal education and barely spoke English. At the end of the war in 1945 dad was a staff sergeant and had fought in North Africa, Italy, Holland, France and Germany. He came through without a scratch on him. By 1947 dad was a WO2 (sergeant major) and had gained all required civilian and military qualifications for his rank and trade. He was also fluent in four languages.

[@writerconsidered]

barely speaking English? Are you suggesting he was a native Gaelic speaker?

[@forlorndream1400]

@@writerconsidered yes. Dad was born and raised in the Dublin slums in 1920, the seventh of seven children. He told me he spoke some English but not much.

[@skullduggerysmiles8393]

I enjoyed reading about your dad, he sounds like he was a hell of a bloke

[@forlorndream1400]

@@skullduggerysmiles8393 thanks for saying that. To me he was the best, he taught me how to be a man. There's a little more to the story if you're interested. When I was born dad was 52, mum was 29. Dad still had the luck and charm of the Irish. Years later when I was seventeen, dad attended my passing out parade as I completed basic training in the British army. He said it was the proudest day of his life. Considering everything dad achieved in his life that was quite something for him to say to me. I've never forgotten that.

[@skullduggerysmiles8393]

@@forlorndream1400 I am interested and thank you for sharing his story with me. Love and peace.

[@memisemyself]

A point you left out is that Ireland was almost bankrupt, having had the war of independence, followed by the civil war, followed by the economic war, where the UK blockaded Irish exports for more that six years during the 1930's. The only way Ireland could defend itself, had it declared war on Germany, was to invite the British army and navy in, 17 years after expelling them in a bloody war. That would have lead to a revolution and the Brits, being Brits, were unlikely to leave when the war was over. They had already occupied Ireland for over 750 years at that point.

[@benc9802]

‘And the Brits being Brits, were unlikely to leave’. Not true at all, I think you’re forgetting the fact that Britain itself was bankrupt after the war - that’s one of the primary reasons Britain backed out of India and allowed the formation of a Hindu and Muslim state (at the behest of the Hindu and Muslim parties), I think if you believe that Britain would have given up India and kept/occupied the Irish Republic, right when the groundwork for a new and more dangerous global confrontation was brewing then you’re somewhat delusional. Not only that but the British government had very little interest or appetite to get involved in Irish affairs after the war. If you want an example closer to home then India however, you need look no further then a piece of land off of Irelands northwest coast -Iceland. Britain occupied Iceland during the Second World War to stop the Germans occupying it. After the war British forces left the island, however it was diplomatically negotiated that a British and American airbase could remain operational on the island, at great economic benefit to a country that was until then an economic backwater who’s residents lived in mud sod huts and had to eat goats heads. Britain would have only been able to maintain a post war presence in Ireland through a negotiated deal with the Irish government, which would have never happened. ‘And the Brits being Brits, were unlikely to leave’. - it is also ironic to note that you are talking about the period of history when Britain was THE MOST involved in leaving other places then they ever had been. It seems to me that instead of considering the evidence, your stigmatised stereotype is simply informed by a rather unpleasant brand of dogmatic nationalism. That being said, contemporary Irish republicans had reason to fear that considering the 20’s and 30’s but clearly to claim that now would be erroneous.

[@jordcarter2359]

Yup, you keep defending that silly argument. We all know which side you stand on, got a brown shirt by chance?

[@jonathonhass4178]

@@benc9802 What a load of 💩. Nice of you to conveniently forget to mention that India wanted you brits out during the war and to punish them for this, Churchill intentionally withheld food from them causing a million to die of starvation. While I in no way condone the atrocities of the nazis, it would’ve served you right if germany had gotten their armies across the channel cause you would’ve gotten a good damn taste of what “The Empire” had been dishing out for centuries, and it would’ve been WELL deserved.

[@memisemyself]

@@jordcarter2359 I'm assuming from your comment that you're British. Therefore, you've been subject to a lifetime of empiralistic propaganda and conditioning. Trying to explain reality to you would take hours of work and pages of script and even then, it's possible that it would be beyond your comprehension. I have shirts of many colours, none of which have the blood of innocent civilians on them. Nor do they have the stain of oppression, massacre, pilaging on them. Of course, being a loyal subject of his "majesty" you wouldn't understand that last comment.

[@memisemyself]

@@benc9802 I understand the UK was near bankrupt and am well aware of how the IMF rescued you three times during the 60's and you've had the biggest bail our in history in the 70's. Weren't you very good to "allow" the setting up of independent states. So generous of you, when you shouldn't have been there before. However, 600 million Indians were on the other side of the world and would have been very difficult to supress. Ireland, with a population of just over 3 million is next door and would be a different prospect. Don't forget, if you ever knew, that Churchill was the man who sent the Black and Tans into Ireland when we voted for independence. The objective was to terrorise the Irish into submission. No family was left untouched by their terror. It was only 17 years previous, memories don't fade that fast. In the first six months of independence, Churchill threatened reinvasion three times. He also oversaw the establishment of the police state in NI, helped secure finance and weapons for it and watched while the anti-Catholic pograms took place. He again threatened invasion in 1939, resisted the second Anglo-Irish Treaty, giving us back our offshore islands and the right to have a navy, among other things. He was a figure of hate in Ireland. Would you expect us to trust him? The last time you lot arrived, in 1169, it took until 1922 to get you out. In spite of it's financial difficulties, your country was willing to continue to occupy other countries, take NI and Kenya as examples and look at the hideous things done there. You only "left" willingly where you thought you had no hope of staying. I know that you feel the need to defend your own country and think that it behaved in a positive way. The UK always acted in it's own selfish interest, as all countries do and if occupying Ireland after the war was deemed in it's selfish interest, that's what it would do. No one knew in 1939/40 what the UK's selfish interest regarding Ireland would be in 1945/46. Wisely, the government here decided not to take a chance. One of the very few correct decisions De Valera made.

[@marvwatkins7029]

Like Spain, Ireland was still recovering from its own war.

[@musicfind4020]

BS argument every country was still damaged from WW1.

[@breaddboy]

The Irish actually fought on both sides of the Spanish civil war too.

[@williamjordan5554]

Spain had it's own fascist government.

[@adammacgreagoir4924]

@@williamjordan5554 Spain was not fascist. They were nationalist Catholics who continued economic liberalism. The closest Spain had to a fascist party was the Falange but they were sidelined after becoming part of the national front.

[@williamjordan5554]

@@adammacgreagoir4924 Whatever the definition, Spain was a dictatorship that sought to join the Axis powers in 1940 but backed off.

[@WillieFungo]

70,000 volunteers would be a national army by todays standards.

[@patm8622]

160,000 +

[@earlbinvico]

Indeed. The British army, as of January 2024, counts with 75,000 active personnel. And that's one of the strongest armies in the world.

[@earlbinvico]

​@@patm8622?

[@patm8622]

​@earlbinvico 160,000 men & women with addresses in what is now the Republic served in the British and Commonwealth forces during WW2.

[@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess]

And many Irish also joined the Wehrmacht as volunteers to fight the enemy 💪

[@patm8622]

By the way, mi5 said Ireland's best way to support the Allied cause was stay neutral.

[@charlesd3a]

An Irish man headed up the M15 for many years

[@albaraqahtani]

@@charlesd3a his name ?

[@schusterlehrling]

As an irish friend of mine put it "Having the choice between our suppressor for hundreds of years or the most evil empire in history, we had no choice but to refuse to choose."

[@matiasdiaz8913]

cool,but the evil empire of history and the suppresor are the same

[@60iger29]

One could argue that the Mongolians, Imperial Japan or the early Soviet Union were even worse, when it comes down to war crimes of the army, but the Holocaust was just an oustanding inhuman almost daemonic nightmare which maybe is the worst ever done by humans to humans.

[@ericsandrade]

Great choice to be honest

[@ericsandrade]

@@matiasdiaz8913 not really. Germany did nothing to the Irish

[@xander1O1O7]

​@@ericsandrade because they were not given the chance to :/

[@deadlyjaguar89]

Also, we let all soldiers that were with the Allies who were caught in Ireland leave to Northern Ireland but we kept the Germans as prisoners

[@joeantrobus2118]

The Irish government also gave use of the Donegal corridor for British aircraft to fly from Northern Ireland through over Ireland and into the Atlantic.

[@musicfind4020]

They gave nothing it was used regardless of Irish opinion

[@Aegis---]

​@@musicfind4020 source?

[@joeantrobus2118]

@@musicfind4020 But the Irish did agree to use of the corridor, they just didn’t want to be drawn into the global conflict. There’s many a example of the Irish military communicating to a downed plane in Ireland to the British military before they even knew. Also examples of American planes being downed and the Irish putting them up, as they waited transfer back to NI.

[@_________.]

@@musicfind4020 wow you are just a misinformation machine in these comments

[@AngloSupreme]

UK protect Irish airspace to this day as the Irish don't have the means so moot point really.

[@robertdraper5782]

The Irish intelligence service passed on any information they got on Abwher agents attempting to cross to Britain, they were usually picked up in Liverpool and either turned or hung.

[@duanemarshall1889]

It's amazing how they played both sides

[@veronicadredd22]

An Irish librarian Richard Hayse broke German microdot codes that Bletchly park could not break

[@duanemarshall1889]

@@veronicadredd22 any many Irish joined military then became terrorists too once left military

[@richardcray2919]

​@@veronicadredd22 his name was hayes

[@_blank-_]

@@duanemarshall1889 Both sides? I don't see how their neutrality really benefitted the Germans unlike Switzerland.

[@ralphdougherty1844]

Heavy losses in WWI also played a part in this. The Irish didn’t want to give their sons to the UK for another slaughter like 1914-1918 where 35,000 of the 200,000 who served died.

[@michaelcostello1053]

And mostly treated like guinea pigs

[@BRITISHFURY_1664]

WW1 was a slaughter for everyone. Us in Britain suffered many casualties and most of our towns cities lost over half of its population. WW1 was nothing but a bloodbath a pointless bloodbath. Cant believe people died because idiots couldn't solve their issues. And they were related too.

[@corinnem.239]

Fair enough.

[@isbee56]

​@@michaelcostello1053 don't act like that's unique for poor people in the first world war. The English didn't care about the English poors either.

[@duanemarshall1889]

@@isbee56 wow really have no respect for those who gave everything so that others can have the life they have now

[@shanecoyle3676]

You pronounced taoiseach perfectly I'm shocked, fantastic. Great short

[@nixd0rf356]

I noticed that too!

[@seosamh.forbes]

I thought it was pronounced Tee-shay. That's how that one Sinn Fein deputy said it when he got in that fight with Leo, and Leo told him "it doesn't take long for your balaclava to slip."

[@blinktwice4541]

​@@nixd0rf356 it's actually pronounced more like tee-shuck more than tee-shock but yeah he did a very good job.

[@blinktwice4541]

it's actually pronounced more like tee-shuck more than tee-shock but yeah he did a very good job.

[@seosamh.forbes]

@@blinktwice4541 that makes sense because "shuck" spoken fastly could be mistaken for "shay"

[@Napoleonvanderbilt]

Fun fact about Eamon De Valera, he was actually born in the United States.

[@odin2130]

And he was a traitor

[@charles5553]

​@@odin2130yep and the reason why Michael Collins was killed

[@Napoleonvanderbilt]

@hughjaanus6680 But Boris was born an English Citizen, De Valera was full on American, and moved to Ireland later in life.

[@shredder9536]

​@@charles5553 Michael Collins was the traitor who got himself killed. He even admitted his actions deserved the death penalty "I've signed my own death warrant".

[@charles5553]

@@shredder9536 it was De Valera who gave him and Griffiths full power to sign the treaty would you rather him not sign it and the war continue after all Collins was known as the Man on the Bike the British can never catch but since they had a photo of him he couldn't hide his identity anymore cause of De Valera

[@JHX1]

They did have prisons for germans they captured and do have german cemetaries for those captured or washed on the shore and who died in ireland. One of the prisons became a place for german kids to strengthen after the war.

[@eugenemurray2940]

It was a weather report from the West of Ireland that was the 'go ahead' for D-Day.

[@musicfind4020]

Wow amazing go the Irish , meanwhile the rest of the free world actually committed everything they had to the war and defeating the dictatorships, blood materials and money vs a mingling weather forecast 😂

[@eugenemurray2940]

@@musicfind4020 Well a fair point... But please also account for the food Ireland exported to UK... And thus bombed as a result.. Dublin being an 'Open' city and quote undefended by what I have heard... Also repatriation of downed Allied pilots as the War progressed But fair point - ish

[@AnotherHistorianWargamer]

​@@musicfind4020 fighting to make sure the Reds got power in Eastern Europe is hardly defeating dictatorships. WWII wasn't about freedom, it it was it wouldn't have ended on 45.

[@_________.]

@@musicfind4020 ireland did so much more than they had to for a genocidal country that terrorized them for centuries. They did so much more than they had to.

[@croisaor2308]

@@musicfind4020 The rest of the "free" world were attacked and had their colonial possessions to defend. Why would Ireland get involved in a conflict between colonial Empires after just being free of one ourselves?

[@paddybrennan7093]

We called WW2 the emergency and the saying was at the time because of the way we leaned towards the Allies that we never figured out who we were neutral against

[@mrfixitusa6165]

That's hilarious, and definitely the most Irish thing I've heard all day. 😝

[@corinnem.239]

You were neutral so you could recover after the civil war. It was not enough time for Ireland to have recover. This has not been held against Ireland as far as I know by either side. It allowed for your recovery and after what Ireland went through with the UK for independence, no one misunderstood why Ireland it stayed neutral. Best thing for you. Much respect for the volunteers, but also for the Republic government. America could & did give our support because we were strong enough and enjoyed a better condition without having British problems. The US has always wanted Ireland to recover prosperity AND peace with justice. Most of us have Irish ancestors. It was always our dream to bring peace & prosperity with justice by playing a supporting role. We finally got to send our best problem solver to help, George Mitchell. It was a rare pleasure to live to see the Good Friday Accords signed. Many generations of Irish -Americans longed for that dreams. North or South, we knew Ireland needed more time to recovery after finally getting their freedom.

[@timo191]

The Brits also said they would have to "fortify" Ireland if they joined the Allies. I can't blame them for saying no.

[@Alex.af.Nordheim]

Why is "letting German nationals continue to live in Ireland without incidents" a sin💀

[@iceman6489]

Comparing it to the USA’s treatment of Americans with Japanese ancestry and nationals

[@iceman6489]

Comparing it to the USA’s treatment of Americans with Japanese ancestry and Japanese nationals during the war

[@hybrit9881]

Thats not really a sin, the real problem is how they treated the 70000 veterans after they returned home

[@thegatorhator6822]

​@@hybrit9881 what do you mean? They treated them just right.

[@hybrit9881]

@@thegatorhator6822 elaborate

[@curtyct5389]

My grandmother grew up in County Mayo and has a very young girl she was gifted a piglet for her birthday and being a little girl and not understanding the situation only hearing the name Hitler so often she named her piglet Hitler and he never lived that down I'm not kidding she's dead I'm talking about it now RIP💚Eileen "Nell" Hogan🇮🇪🍀🐖

[@brianmccarthy5557]

Now that is a very Irish story!!

[@racheltaylor6578]

Respect to all the Irish men who went to fight the Nazis.

[@patm8622]

Don't ignore the men and women who built the roads, manned the hospitals, went into the factories and farms.

[@CHIBBZ-54]

​​@@patm8622 Exactly, 3 of my Grand Uncles help build battle ships in Liverpool and Southampton and my grand aunt was at Ford Dagenham making Vehicle Bateries for Armoured Vehicles, Tanks , Jeeps etc.

[@Mshi-]

They died for Judaism and the enslavement of Europe by Bolshevism

[@Korinthian-do7sx]

but fought in the british army. traitors of Ireland.

[@abraxas9340]

Simultaneously Zogged and Not Zogged.

[@NoSuffix]

Neutrality was a smart choice then.

[@nessunday]

Hardly, if more countries had stayed neutral the nazis would have won

[@petesmart1983]

Not really if Britain lost Ireland would have to support the Nazis, even with neutrality Sweden and Switzerland still bowed,traded and basically supported Nazi Germany without fighting, Ireland would of become another Nazi country

[@_blank-_]

I don't know why Ireland is getting trashed on in the comments.

[@Adaman368]

Its a small sub section of extreme loyalist fruit cakes who like to denigrate Ireland any chance they get. Sad to say their lives seem to mainly based on hatred of the people their country brutally invaded and colonised. Then they act shocked that the Irish fought back to gain their independence. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@deanslater5584]

Because it was a degree of being nazis themselves

[@microwavefish]

Another thing to note is that Allied aircraft were allowed to fly over Donegal (the only county in Ulster not part of Northern Ireland) and while German airmen were captured by security forces the allies were allowed to “escape” to the North. As well as that Irish fire brigades assisted in dealing with the Belfast Blitz.

[@conorduignan7855]

That's not true, Cavan and Monaghan are also counties in Ulster that are part of the Republic of Ireland. Ulster has 9 counties, 6 in northern Ireland and 3 in the Republic.

[@conlaiarla]

​@@conorduignan7855 Spot on .

[@theninjalion2811]

Allied airmen weren't allied to escape, they were sent to the North by bus.

[@TheJuggernoob1]

Well played, they kept their country safe.

[@dublinsfaircity]

I'm proud of my Irish brothers who helped defeat the Nazis in WW2.

[@Beclevelandyourself2k11]

I’m not

[@Norwoodg00ner]

@morganwheeleryear1123 most of Britain didn’t want war. It was the Jewish ruling class that did. Same in America

[@algiz21]

Irish traitors who helped bring the downfall of Europe. You must be so happy that your classrooms are all non Irish and that gaelic is almost extinct

[@what-uy7go]

@@Norwoodg00ner are you a parrot for hitler lol? you're just copying what he said

[@liamcassidy5992]

@@Norwoodg00ner actually the Celts were below the Germanic people in Nazi Rassenkunde

[@thereformedreader]

The volunteers are absolute heroes. To join the UK forces from Republic of Ireland at this time was anathema.

[@L-mo]

My Irish grandfather fought in WW1 for the British Army (Ireland was under Britain at that time). He would have done it again but was too old during WW2, but his wife, my grandmother, was an air raid warden.

[@isaholbrook9192]

And those soldiers that served in the war with the UK were treated like shit after the war

[@Adaman368]

Well the fact is they were shafted by the British after fighting for them in WW2. Odd that.

[@seankavanagh7625]

Deserters who fight for your enemy don't tend to get praised no matter where they are from.

[@Korinthian-do7sx]

rightfully so, traitors.

[@jamesalexander9847]

I go to Achill Island County Mayo every few years which is the most westerly part of Ireland. At the end of the island near Keem Bay there are the ruins of watch buildings that Irish people were stationed during WW2 and their job was to watch for German sea activity

[@genghisthegreat2034]

.....the structures above Acorrymore were to watch for all marine activity by both Axis and Allied powers

[@jamesalexander9847]

@@genghisthegreat2034 Makes sense lmao. Thanks for the info!

[@Adaman368]

​@@genghisthegreat2034 Despite declaring its neutrality- Ireland had already given all allied shipping freedom to use its territorial waters. It also passed on intelligence gathered to the Allies. The fact was they simply couldn't trust the British having had to fight them for their own independence less than 20 years earlier.

[@patm8622]

@@genghisthegreat2034 and issue the reports to the Allies only

[@patm8622]

@Adam there was a lot of trust between the two militaries, not the old bigots who had fought the IRA but the intelligence guys and newer, younger officers. What they didn't put up with, and quite rightly, was the likes of Churchill who couldn't be trusted as dar as he could be thrown, as the Poles could tell you.

[@josebruce24]

My respect to the 70,000 Irishmen ❤️❤️

[@abdulrahmanryan366]

70,000 lost souls! Couldn't wait to jump ship to the 'real' enemy!

[@josebruce24]

@@abdulrahmanryan366 what do you mean?

[@punishedgloyperstormtroope8098]

They were traitors and war criminals

[@renatacantore3684]

Thank you for sharing this important piece of Irish history 🌹🇮🇪♥️🕊

[@blackatom4957]

Respect to Ireland from India.

[@alexanderbruwer9363]

Yeah British aggression pre WWI and WWII didn't win them too many favors when it came to the great wars. South Africans were still reeling from the brutality of the Second Anglo-Boer War and were dragged into the world wars, there were quite a few voices who weren't all to happy about having to fight for the British

[@julianmcmillan2867]

South Africa also had a very cozy ideological relationship with Germany at this time. I still have a grandfather, who fought in the war, who believes in the Afrikaner version of the volkland and who believes that apartheid should never have happened, and that instead, our ancestors should've done what Hitler tried to do because nobody would care if the Afrikaners genocided black people since it was Hitler invading other European countries that drew the allies into the war. My opinion? The people I grew up with still visit the Voortrekker monument and sing De La Rey in rememberance of the Boer war. I don't, because that monument and and that song also represented the horrors that were visited upon the parents of some of the black friends I grew up with and still keep in touch with. Point is, if things had gone a little differently, I can easily see a world where SA would either have remained purely neutral and at worst would have rhetorically supported Germany. But we couldn't because the commonwealth and the U.S was at war with Germany. My father cannot fathom why I am not all that proud to call myself a boer.

[@jixuscrixus1967]

@@antseanbheanbocht4993 and he stayed in the capsule…

[@daire2437]

Great video but you left out a few key facts. Eire also let american planes land and refuel and we were bombed by Germany for this. Eire was not neutral because it helped the allies

[@ethelmini]

...after 1942. I think everyone could see how it was going to end by then.

[@lasigh3883]

'Eire' ?! LOL

[@bruhdealer5208]

@@lasigh3883 what?

[@lasigh3883]

@@bruhdealer5208 I said: 'Eire'. LOL

[@daire2437]

@@bruhdealer5208 Don't mind him, La sigh is simple. Just some troll incapable of articulating a response

[@obamaisgod474]

The town i live in has the Erne Corridor, which was a flightpath up the River Erne tjat allowed British planes out into the Atlantic to patrol. If they didnt use that they wouldve had to have flown all the way around the top of northern ireland to get out

[@Sam_Green____4114]

However many lrish served in British and allied forces during WW2 and the Republic of lreland assisted British forces in the North and gave aid when needed . Covertly of course !

[@Sam_Green____4114]

@Venture Forth Didn't !! Lies !

[@ShermPWilliams]

Probably because they were too busy being oppressed by the benevolent British empire

[@samybreitler176]

Ireland being almost bankrupt having been stolen a significant part of one of the 4 main provinces by their former overlords. Having a wrecked industry and destroyed houses and still 70.000 Irish men volunteered to defend democracy in mainland Europe. True Chads

[@Hyype]

True chads ? They were neutral mate, and any volunteers that left were judicially punished, mostly jailed on return, put in some more research, you’ll understand areas of the topic a lot than a youtube shorts leads you to.

[@samybreitler176]

@@Hyype so 70.000 Irish fought for your and my freedom and for democracy in Europe even though they knew they’d be punished or die in a foreign land. How about you show some respect for these heroes. People like you give me second hand embarrassment.

[@samybreitler176]

@@Hyype and these volunteers did all that even tho your forefathers carried out a genocide for centuries against the Irish people their culture and their language. That’s the equivalent of a Ukrainian fighting for the Russian empires army in WW1 or a Native American fighting for the US Army against Mexico.

[@Hyype]

@@samybreitler176 Yes and that was very brave and virtuous of the Irish volunteers, if you’d read into what I said a bit more you’d find I actually shown an opposition to aspects of the Irish government at the time, seeing as you referred to Ireland as the main body in your original comment, yet these were the ones who punished and alienated these brilliant volunteers, you show a clear respect for these volunteers, so how can you not despise the way the Irish government treated them?

[@JA-rk9cg]

@@Hyype The government should’ve been ashamed of how they treated them. I can assure you though that the vast majority of the people here did support them. It was definitely a much stronger hatred in WWI as it was during the rising, but they were still seen as brave by many and we all know the true cause. I’m just glad that they were able to do their bit. Nowadays we have their medals displayed.

[@kathyraygoza3299]

Victoria pretty much ignored the Irish. She loved potatoes was but was indifferent to the Irish during the potato famine. The Brits did to Ireland what they did to Scotland and probably Wales, forbid the speaking their native tongue.

[@slicktrick9640]

Fair play to that 70000

[@NoNameUwUxX]

Switzerland: Do you want some popcorn? 🍿

[@1042firegirl]

INCORRECT. ports had been transferred to the Irish state years before the war broke out.

[@seagullshen]

"Teeshock"

[@jixuscrixus]

Exactly the way numb nuts Liz Truss pronounced it.

[@dkellybeats]

Taoiseach - Translation “chief” Essentially our Prime Minister

[@seagullshen]

@@dkellybeats REALLY 😱😱

[@seagullshen]

@@fear8825 eh

[@adriankaill9413]

Neutral my arse...they invited German U boats into their ports...

[@emcc8598]

Incorrect. Not only did the Irish remain neutral they also helped the allies with essential intelligence, provided advance weather reports which famously allowed the day for DDay to be chosen. Permitted Aircorridors for Allied airplanes over Ireland. Ditto shipping in the Irish Sea. All downed and rescued allied personal free to return to their bases whilst German personal were locked up for the duration of the war. The Irish merchant marine which braved uboats to deliver food from Ireland without which Britain would have starved. Lots more if you actually wish to learn and not simply spread sh1te

[@adriankaill9413]

@@emcc8598 bollocks

[@emcc8598]

@@adriankaill9413 Yeah typical loyalist answer there . Go learn some history. There's all the evidence you want for the Irish actively helping the Allies during WW2. That some chose to spread lies is on them.

[@seankavanagh7625]

Source: Wetherpoons

[@danboy98]

The country of Ireland may not have fought but the Irish people did

[@noodlyappendage6729]

Ireland fought but the Republic of Ireland did not.

[@cenyoorsunt3167]

No good options.

[@johanna2059]

Churchill actually threatened De Valera over his stance on Ireland remaining neutral during the war. The letter that De Valera wrote back to Churchill is a piece of literature that is a true work of art. De Valera was indeed the true gentleman despite Churchill's, ahem, 'aristocratic' lineage.

[@ohno2112]

My father fought for Irish independence & fought with the Americans during WWII. Like countless other Irish men & Women

[@interabang]

Ohno How did he fight for the Americans ?

[@karendwyer8499]

@@interabang He left Ireland because of no work & he was a Republican, left for America, got drafted in 1942 into the 12th Armored division.

[@seankavanagh7625]

Fighting for the US was the correct decision.

[@loadslmgwithreligiousintent]

We also allowed Allied Planes to fly over Donegal so they could access the Atlantic Ocean easier. We also sent a Fire Brigade into Northern Ireland when it was bombed.

[@unhhgcrxexhjvuvujchcrzwzwz7956]

As far as I’m concerned we were helping the French and the polish not the British. Helping them was incidental

[@unhhgcrxexhjvuvujchcrzwzwz7956]

@Ernest Tremeer ah yes hitler, who weaponized prostantism and as a tool of the state, totally checks out

[@JJaqn05]

For as far as im concerned they were fighting for all three

[@kommanderc7208]

One of my great grandfathers was a guard for a prison camp that held shot-down airmen. The British were kept separate from the germans, and they let the british rejoin the RAF if they wanted to.

[@mosspally6995]

Neutral in public. Allied in reality.

[@AldoScotia]

Really ?- when the president and prime minister send condolences on the death of Hitler? Shameful act.

[@mosspally6995]

@@AldoScotia He did. Against advice. Did so to show the neutrality he pretended to his people. Unwarranted and unloved act. But done in the mistake belief it would add to credibility. Shameful? Aye, true enough. But the man did remain at the top of Irish politics until 1975.

[@AldoScotia]

@@mosspally6995 not just de Valera but Hyde the president also sent his condolences.

[@mosspally6995]

@@AldoScotia aye. All of them were thicker than pigshit in that regard. I’m no man to defend Dev, but the reality was fifteen than portrayed here.

[@GlorpLorp]

@@AldoScotia did Ireland ever give Germany any intelligence? You're a child if you think giving condolences is enough to be allied with someone. The Irish killed Germans while allowing Brits to leave.

[@christianfreedom-seeker934]

My cousin still looks debonair after all these years!

[@Ramazvous]

Funny how you called it the Irish Civil war. We call it the war of independence

[@Alexthemeh4214]

There was a actually civil war after the war of independence on wather or not to accept the treaty that will left the North to the British.

[@Ramazvous]

@@Alexthemeh4214 yeah came up with the good Friday agreement

[@Alexthemeh4214]

@@Ramazvous it was Anglo irish treaty( couldn't remember the name) the one your thinking of was the troubles.

[@konstantinkoverchenko9587]

Irish soldiers, like black American soldiers don’t get enough respect for their sacrifice during WW2.

[@WjfhdhShshshsh]

All the brits in the comments talking about irish morals 😂😂 Ye seem to forget ye invaded iraq

[@alvaroriccardirocadetogore8116]

De Valera it's my family, my grandmother she's Valera. I lived in Ireland two years and was taught that Eamon was my family.

[@IrishPagan99]

we didn't fight as a country but there was still lots of Irishmen fighting in ww2

[@ewcc8847]

Ireland was not a republic during the war, it was a dominion in the same vein as Canada and had the king as head of state. And like Canada it had no obligation to join the war.

[@genghisthegreat2034]

No, it kept the King that had abdicated, and nominated and made his Governor General , a man who was content to be invited to nothing.

[@swedishbloke]

Sweden was pretty similair yet we get bashed at for “helping the Nazis”…

[@spoopyboi4775]

Smooth brains can't comprehend the fact that neutrality means neutrality no matter who the "good" or "bad" guy is.

[@NMahon]

Yeah whatever Sweden offered the Nazis they offered the Soviets. Stuck between a rock and a hard place not wanting to get dragged either way. I think Sweden handled it well

[@swedishbloke]

@@NMahon we did the same thing to the Allies. We were the ones who discovered the Bismarck

[@satyakisil9711]

@@swedishbloke Swedes deserve to be bashed since they have the biggest holier-than-thou mindset in the continent. Switzerland was more hostile to the allies and escaped with no accusations, since for them performance is more important than perception.

[@swedishbloke]

@@satyakisil9711 holier than thou? And we do not deserve getting bashed? Bash the Americans for their millions of war crimes!

[@timg1246]

This video is incompetent. The Republic of Ireland did not exist during WW2. It was the Irish Free State, which had home rule NOT independence. So, Ireland did not have sovereignty to defend. Sovereignty over foreign affairs was still controlled by the UK. Technically the UK could have declared war on Germany on Ireland's behalf. So, the point of "allowing" the allies to use its seaways or airspace was a question never raised because neither Dublin nor London wanted to settle the issue of whether that was covered by home rule or foreign policy. Both parties essentially wanted to see Germany defeated.

[@bobsemple9341]

And the Republic of Ireland doesn't even exist today. Its called ireland

[@lasigh3883]

@Tim G124 The Irish Free State ceased to exist in 1937. Serious question: Can't you get anything right? LOL

[@lasigh3883]

@Tim G124 It most certainly did not only have 'home rule' you, illiterate prat. Dur....

[@tonybuk70]

As a UK citizen, love to the Irish, we havent forgotten the sacrifices of people like Foggarty Fengen.

[@BatTaz19]

And we haven't forgotten about the many atrocities either.

[@skibbitybebop]

​@@BatTaz19 cry more

[@connor9295]

​@@BatTaz19 Can't be civil to a guy who's showing appreciation because he's British, even though he had precisely fuck all to do with anything that happened in history. Pitiful little rat 😂

[@doylersafl8728]

​@@skibbitybebopwe forgive, but maybe not forget

[@JJaqn05]

​@@doylersafl8728 Love Southern Ireland🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@shadefelblade]

My dad's grandpa was in the Irish military during ww2 and trained dogs to find bombs

[@jonathanfaull1880]

Left out Irish ships travelling with the protection of convoys, also as Britain paid for Irelands lighthouses maybe they paid for the weather reporting too? Also the ports were handed over in 1938. They were Irish so fair enough though the price was paid by sailors and their loved ones. Also the Irish government sent a telegram of condolences to Germany on the news of their leaders death (Fuhrer).

[@emanwhomakesbarrels701]

And the use of the Donegal passageway. And the unprovoked use of Irish coastline and airspace. The huge amount of food exported to the UK from Ireland. Ireland was neutral in name only. By right any soldier allied or axis that crash landed in Ireland should not f been kept in POW camps until the end of the conflict. Any American or English soldiers were transported out of the country by the Irish government and given back to the allies. Any axis soldiers were arrested and imprisoned in the Wicklow mountains. Many of whom are still buried there today.

[@garyunbeliever3001]

Thousands and thoudands of irish men fought and died in ww2.. and even if the country remained neutral we play crucial roles..

[@-.-._---_--_._-]

"eye-r-lind"

[@seosamh.forbes]

Ireland's army isn't designed for war in another country. After being colonized by the English for almost 1,000 years, they've made it a point to never invade and colonize another country.

[@lightfootpathfinder8218]

But the Irish wouldn't have been fighting to "invade and colonize" anyone. They would have been fighting to rid the world of Nazism and liberate the people of Europe just like Britain and the rest of the western allies were.

[@seosamh.forbes]

@@lightfootpathfinder8218 not everyone knew the extent of German war crimes until it was over. When Germany was on it's bullshit, even the United States was like "how this our business?" And for anyone else who wasn't affected until they were, the sentiment was "Ah dang a European power is trying to take over Europe again. Crazy how this happens ALL THE FUCKING TIME CAUSE IT'S THE PAST. And ain't no way no how this Hitler guy is gonna be different from Napoleon or Caesar." Hindsight's always 20/20 buddy.

[@lightfootpathfinder8218]

@@seosamh.forbes I see your point but you must admit it was difficult for the Irish to admit that in this war it was the Brits who were the good guys and this was simply too hard a pill for Irish nationalists to swallow as it didn't fit their narrative of Britain being the nasty empire building conquerors. I think most Irish understood that German national socialism was far worse than British imperialism but they were too proud to admit it or join the allies. They had this naive view that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" but in this case it wasn't so as the Germans believed germanic people were the master race and this would mean that the English (being Anglo Saxon) were racially superior to the Irish(being Celtic)

[@seosamh.forbes]

@@lightfootpathfinder8218 but the Irish swore an oath upon their independence to never get involved with a conflict unless they're UN peacekeeping, which wasn't even a thing at that time. Getting involved means they break their oath.

[@lightfootpathfinder8218]

@@seosamh.forbes even if it means the subjugation of their nation?. If Britain would have fallen Ireland would have been next and they would have been treated worst than the British (at least worse than the English) as like I said they are not a germanic race. Plus German rule in Ireland would have made British rule look like the glory days

[@aksmex2576]

70k is a pretty large number.

[@sharky8534]

The Irish are a good folk bar Conor mcgregor I’m Asian my best pal is an Irish lad by the name of lynch

[@nedcassley5169]

My Irish-American cousin reported to his alma mater in 1941 that he was meeting with other men in New York to discuss what could be done to keep the United States out of the war.

[@pamelacass9642]

Forgot to chat up the Japanese, eh?

[@Theoneandonlyadammurphyryan]

We as a people have been used by the British to use up enemy bullets and had we joined the fight that's what would've happened again

[@colmivers]

Everytime an American mispronounces Ireland my souls is torn in Twain... which is hilarious because you fuckin nailed Taoiseach 😂👍

[@MolloyPolloy]

You can't attack a neutral nation. Had ireland joined, Germany would have levelled it in a day and used it as a point of attack on the other side of Britain. The RAF would have had to defend the entire island, resulting in fewer planes to fight over mainland Europe. Ireland neutrality helped the allies. 70,000 soldiers was a huge contribution. Both my grandfathers fought, one as a soldier and one domestically, and my grandmother was a nurse. Amazing generation of people.

[@kurtpunchesthings2411]

Yea in reality it was the smart move instead of becoming a massive target we stayed neutral while 70,000 volunteers fought for the Allies in the war

[@strontiumstargazer103]

Check out where Ireland is and come up with a way the Luftwaffe would have levelled it -

[@patm8622]

@Strontium Stargazer Check out the Belfast blitz, good idea to know what your facts before posting a comment.

[@patm8622]

Actually the figure was approx 160,000 in all British/Commonwealth forces+ perhaps the same again or more working in hospitals, factories, rescue, war damage repair etc.

[@strontiumstargazer103]

@@patm8622 Well Belfast wasn’t levelled in a day was it Pat. Neither was it in five years of war.

[@SimonCowie86]

Ireland stayed nutral cause they where still rebuilding after the Civil War that ended in 1920 so Ireland was only a new country & was only 25 years old then. But it has been proven that Hitler tried to negotiate with Oreland in exchange for weapons & the UK had offered to help rebuild Ireland both temping offers but it would of turned Ireland into a war zone between both the UK & Germany so they said no. The boat with the German weapons was sunk.

[@Alexthemeh4214]

I think you were thinking of when Germany sent weapons to aid in a irish uprising during ww1. Also churchhill also promised the North in exchange for use of irish ports.

[@cretansuperbos2121]

I think a quarter century was enough to "rebuild." Ireland remained a miserably poor country until the late 1990s due to bad governance.

[@lasigh3883]

@@cretansuperbos2121 You think 25 years is enough time time to fix the mess the British left? LOL

[@jamaicansunitedforchange5745]

@@cretansuperbos2121 no one cares what you think. You british leave countries in ruins then tell us what you think

[@yermanoffthetelly]

@@cretansuperbos2121 Ireland was also in a trade war with the UK up to 1938. Ireland only stopped being "miserably poor" when it broke it's reliance on trading with the UK by joining the EEC in the 70s. Since then it's gone from strength to strength.

[@corinnem.239]

The Irish needed to concentrate on rebuilding at that point. They had been ripped apart so much they were not in any condition to go to war again so soon. Even the Brits knew it would not have been a good idea. The US knew that Ireland was in deep need for being neutral.

[@user-nb8yt2il2r]

"Hey ireland, britain needs your help to fight a country that hasnt oppressed you for centuries!" Ireland:🙈

[@johngledhill2970]

The British wanted Ireland to remain neutral, they were fighting to the East and the South, also North Africa and the Far East, the last thing they wanted was to worry about an attack from the West. Ireland made a good tactical decision.

[@mr.afrikaans1747]

Thank you, Ireland. For all the bad that Britain has inflicted upon Ireland you sent vital aid and gave so many lives to secure the victory for the allies.

[@jackspring7709]

Don't forget that the British had finally left (Southern Ireland) after 700 years of invasion, ethnic cleansing, massacres and holodomors. Churchill then sent his own version of the SS (auxilaries & black & tans) into Ireland during the War of Independence. So when he came back, cap in hand, less than 20 years later to ask Ireland to fight for freedom and human rights, he was told to go ask someone else. Given what that country had been through at the hands of the British, the Irish were perfectly entitled to stay neutral.

[@Joseph-bu9tv]

The civil war was between The newly Formed Irish Government and the IRA, hence it is called a civil war, a war between people of the same nation, you are also referring to the Irish war of Independence, between the Irish freedom fighters and the British military,

[@willstar8095]

70,000 Legends. It's not easy swimming against the tide. The tide in my country (NZ) took all the men (many still boys) but because there was no choice everyone just got on with it, heck the boys saw it as an adventure. WW1 veterans knew otherwise.

[@seankavanagh7625]

Love NZ and have actually been there. Amazingly decent people. Still don't share your views of Britain but apart from that you lot are legends too 👍

[@willstar8095]

@@seankavanagh7625 Cheers brother! 👊

[@andrewhopkinson9016]

What about the Irish gaurd who were part of operation market garden

[@kimdurig1322]

To be honest I'm surprised that 70,000 helped the Brit's

[@theanglo-lithuanian1768]

You assume every Irish person hated the UK? Ireland was literally part of the UK unill 1920. Even now the average Irish and British person usually get along pretty well (I mean, millions of people have family members in both countries). Now it's only really American Plastic Paddies that ramble on about how much they hate the UK. Plus, bonus points, it was a war against Fascist Germany...

[@willmcreavy9623]

Many of them were West brits, they were treated very badly when they got back

[@A190xx]

It was not the Brits they were helping. Ireland would follow if Britain fell.

[@thanhhoangnguyen4754]

​@@A190xx Yet people often mistaken them for helping the British. So that Ireland can rejoin the British Empire

[@autotelic7922]

Treaty ports were given back to Éire before WWII

[@spoopyboi4775]

To Ireland the brits were the Nazis, you wouldn't expect a freed man to fight for those who oppressed him so hard.

[@alexroyuela3612]

You know the Irish are Catholic when they take “Love your enemies” to a whole new level. Respect from the USA 🇺🇸 🇮🇪

[@ciiinax5020]

Or any other religion…

[@volckermensht9254]

I think you forgot the part when Éamon de Valera called on the German Minister Eduard Hempel to express his condolences on the death of Adolf Hitler and that he was extremely sympathetic towards Hitler and the Nazis

[@lasigh3883]

He was extremely sympathetic to Hitler and the Nazis? How so? Be specific.

[@eoghancarpenter8546]

De Valera was most certainly not sympathetic to Hitler and the Nazis

[@bobsemple9341]

Why make shit up that isn't true?

[@ishubetterthanyou1582]

​@@bobsemple9341 Because he's either a murican or a British, but definitely a Nazi in his heart. Fascism's basic ideology is lying after all.

[@liamcassidy5992]

Source?

[@m.ahussain4005]

Another reason for not joining the war is that if the Irish sent men over seas and many of them died in the war. At the end of the war Irish army would have been reduced possibly allowing for a UK re invasion.

[@crumpetgamer]

But those 70000 volunteers faced charges sadly after return to Ireland

[@lasigh3883]

Incorrect. Dur...

[@crumpetgamer]

@@lasigh3883 you're just a water head aren't you?

[@mikeoxsmal8022]

No they didn't those who deserted the army, were blacklisted

[@lasigh3883]

@@crumpetgamer Only former Irish soldiers who deserted were blacklisted. Other countries would have shot them. Dur...

[@duanemarshall1889]

@@lasigh3883 so you supported those being punished good job they did fight or you'd be speaking German

[@tomascinnsealeach9979]

Those volunteers were shown disdain and many were shunned upon returning home, it was a shameful part of our history, as was much of the 20th century

[@seankavanagh7625]

They joined the British Army. It's a shameful thing for any Irish person to do. Especially now when we have other jobs available. If they joined the Americans, Canadians, French or even the Turks it wouldn't have been as bad. Also only the Irish Army deserters were shunned upon returning home. No one cared about the civilians who joined up.

[@emcc8598]

I see the gaslighting by the Loyal Sons of Britain has started again 🙄

[@paddyseamair6336]

Because parts of its territory still occupied by the power they were supposed to join!

[@shaungillingham4689]

Every country has a skeleton in the closet, not opposing nazi Germany was Irelands. We'll never forget to courage of the Irish volunteers.

[@hammersmashedspud4345]

Read the letters between De Valera and Churchill . Look at double crossing by Churchill during World War 1 . Not opposing the Nazis,the country had had enough of imperial monsters

[@shaungillingham4689]

@@hammersmashedspud4345 weasel words! Hitlers Nazis were worse than anything England had ever done to Ireland, no I'm sorry but not opposing Hitler was unforgiveable, stop making excuses!

[@hammersmashedspud4345]

@@shaungillingham4689just another Hun afraid to take ownership..our population was halved by Britain's policy's and laws and has never recovered

[@shaungillingham4689]

@@hammersmashedspud4345 your country failed to stand with Britain against Hitler, stop trying to move the goalposts. It happened, it can't unhappen. There's evidence that Ireland cooperated with the Nazis, after all Britain was on the brink of defeat they probably thought they were backing the winners. Although the government sat on its hands & looked the other way, tens of thousands of brave Irish men volunteered to join the British army to fight a regime that would have plunged Europe into a new dark age, so skeleton in your closet & your in denial, tell that to the millions Hitler genocided, picking no side was almost as bad as picking the wrong side.

[@hammersmashedspud4345]

@@shaungillingham4689 evidence? Like Alexander Basin,the Curragh,the border,the control of lighthouses.. Hitler and Churchill are side by side now so go speak your sanctimonious nonsense to someone else who hand picks the history they like

[@patcomerford5596]

Devalera, it is the only significant and worthwhile action took during his life.

[@_just_another_filthy_redcoat]

God bless the Irish soldiers of the British army ❤️ Proud to have yous 🖖

[@seankavanagh7625]

Wasted their lives fighting for a people who believed they were even human or had the right to exist.

[@topfactlord5448]

@@seankavanagh7625 Yet fought none the less

[@lorrainebutler7167]

As an Irish person, we also didn't fight because we wanted to be like Switzerland, 100% neutral. Obviously didn't because we almost got destroyed from it from the 60's - 90's, so we're un neutral now

[@KonanTheBarbarian]

And this is why it is so important we hold onto our stance on Neutrality. Its hard when you hear that salmon Vradkar saying its not important

[@darrenHokage4842]

England: Tries to run Ireland and pretty much all of there region of the world. Germany: Taps that ass England: Why won't anyone help me 😭.