The Emergency Begins | September 2nd 1939 | The Emergency - E01

On the 1st of September 1939 Adolf Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland and with it the start of World War 2. Committed to remaining neutral in the conflict Dáil Éireann declared a State of Emergency and for the next six years Ireland struggled in the face of adversity to retain its stability and its sovereignty. Drunken Nazis in Dingle, a US ambassador communing with the dead, threats of invasion from both Germany and Britain and an armed paramilitary which regarded itself as the legitimate government of the Republic, Ireland would face numerous challenges while also aiding the Allied cause. Abroad, serving in the Allied armed forces, Irishmen would fight in many of the major battles of the Second World War, would hide Jewish refugees in the Vatican and one Irish POW would even survive the bombing of Nagasaki. Subscribe to be kept up to date with new episodes covering the events of the Emergency.
References:
Brian Girvin - “The Emergency”
Fearghal McGarry - “Eoin O’Duffy”
Adrian Hoar - “In Green and Red”
David McCullagh - “Éamon de Valera: Rule”
David Gray - “A Yankee in De Valera’s Ireland”
Emergency Powers Act 1939 - www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/19...
De Valera’s address to the Nation - www.rte.ie/archives/2014/0902...
Dáil Éireann debate 2nd September 1939 - www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/...
Social Media:
Twitter: / theirishnation
Facebook: / theirishnationlives
Instagram: / theirishnationlives
Soundcloud: / theirishnationlives
iTunes: itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/t...
Photos:
Military Archives
NLI Flickr account
Wiki Commons

[@johnryall4798]

De Valera,a skilled diplomat, should never have passed his personal condolences on the death of Hitler to Dr Hempel the German ambassador.He did this soon after the shocking photos of the liberation of Belsen had appeared in the press.Thank you for these brilliant videos mr.Nagle!

[@gloin10]

To be fair, De Valera did so because he had a great personal respect for Dr. Hempel. He did what he did despite the unanimous opposition of his cabinet. It was really the only serious error he made throughout the Emergency.

[@paulsmith4467]

De valera did not go to the Embassy, the Germans had a Legation, They did not have an Ambassador they had a Minister plenipotenary , He went to Herr Hempels private home in the South Dublin suburb of Monkstown to thank him for his correct behavior during the war. Also he did not sign any book. As this went on sale in Belfast in 1956. I think we would have seen his signiture by now. Sorry about spellings.

[@PastorHarrietHellfire-hr2xo]

@johnryall4798 SAYS A BRIT. He was a head of state speaking to the German people. Shut up john

[@Kitiwake]

Ireland was lucky. Dev was at the top of his game in cunning and survival and made all the right moves.

[@Neil-yg5gm]

The merchant seaman bringing supplies to Britain were not so lucky. They are now at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean thanks to Irish neutrality. Tens of thousands on people on those convoys bringing supplies to Britain are dead because of the IRISH. May you rot in hell

[@Neil-yg5gm]

@@j.o.1516 Canada, Australia and New Zealand and eventually most of the Commonwealth came to Britains aid in her our of need

[@gloin10]

@@Neil-yg5gm "Canada, Australia and New Zealand and eventually most of the Commonwealth came to Britains aid in her our of need"? OH? So the UK DIDN'T stand alone....? I am shocked... Meanwhile, back in reality, the Irish people, and the Irish Free State, owed Britain NOTHING. We were, and are, under ZERO obligation, be it ethical, moral or legal, to side with the UK then, or now. The FIRST, and indeed ONLY, duty of a state is the survival of the state and the protection of its people. Neutrality was the policy which the Irish Free State(IFS) chose, as an expression of Irish SOVEREIGNTY, to follow as the best way of ensuring the survival of the state and the protection of the Irish people. Neutrality was massively popular. It enjoyed cross party support in An Dáil, and the overwhelming support of the Irish electorate and people. They are the ONLY people whose opinions matter. Ultimately, it was very successful, because the Irish people, and the Irish state, are still here... While De Valera did his best to maintain the impression of balanced neutrality, the policy was strongly biased towards the UK and the Allies, especially after the USA entered the war. If you have any interest in facts, as opposed to bigoted hatred, try reading the Cranbourne Report, presented to the British Cabinet by Lord Cranbourne in 1945. The reports details the numerous ways that ireland assisted the UK.

[@totes32]

Top of his game? More like poacher turned gamekeeper a fcukin rat who turned on his own comrades.

[@stiofain88]

​@@Neil-yg5gm Do you think we could care less about dead British people? Ye literally starved over a million and half of us and laughed about it until this very day

[@Zippypep]

This brilliant! Nice also to see family members there in the handover of spike island. Have some articles with handwritten notes if the author / producer of this is interested.

[@warrenhollowbooks]

keep up the good work

[@TheIrishNationLives]

Thanks very much. June is going to be a busy month for episodes

[@Stewart682]

In 1943 my dad was stationed at Castle Archdale, an RAF flying boat base on Lough Erne. He told me he and his mates would nip across the border into the South for a pint on the weekend! Risking internment because the beer was better!

[@stiofain88]

Check how many British soldiers got interned during WW2. We didn't use to lock their cell doors after being caught. Take from that what you will.

[@balak1]

Did you post the Spanish civil war episode?

[@gloin10]

The reality was that had De Valera declared war on the UK's side, the country would almost certainly have gone into Irish Civil War 2.0...

[@ratheanach5545]

and we might all be speaking German now.........

[@gloin10]

@@ratheanach5545 Sad bollocks...

[@ratheanach5545]

@@gloin10 Jawohl.

[@gloin10]

@@ratheanach5545 Does not compute!

[@stiofain88]

We would have been bombed to shite and couldn't have afforded to rebuild a toilet at the time.

[@edbarry834]

Interesting. Massive powers given to the government but used sparingly. and well. Anti Brit feeling still huge. Many of us were glad to be able to go England and get jobs later on.

[@Neil-yg5gm]

If you hate England why do you go there to get jobs? Why not go to Argentina??

[@arat2757]

@@Neil-yg5gm have you ever heard of poverty?

[@Neil-yg5gm]

@@arat2757 What is your point???

[@Neil-yg5gm]

@@arat2757 Love the guy ho says he is anti-Brit but them migrates to England to get a job

[@stiofain88]

​@@Neil-yg5gm Everyone with a brain is Anti-Brit. Ye were the world's original Nazis. But everyone with a brain also doesn't want to travel that far from the family he is trying to feed. The people who chose to find work in the UK probably did hate the ground they walked on but they loved their families more. If you can't understand that, that's fine. We genuinely wouldn't expect you too.