http://www.independent.ie/national-news/nazis-were-preparing-to-invade-ireland-files-reveal-2313725.html

Judging by recently released files it is obvious that Hitler did not regard DeValera's and Ireland's neutrality as a barrier to invasion.

caughtredhanded (Tyrone) - Posts: 602 - 27/08/2010 15:10:21    757930

We are lucky our friends across the water did the fighting for us.

patmcgee (Longford) - Posts: 520 - 27/08/2010 15:33:59    757960

Then again Hitler did not have much regard for Dutch, Belgian, Luxembourg, Danish & Norwegian neutrality.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 27/08/2010 15:35:00    757963

patmcgee
County: Longford
Posts: 328

757960 We are lucky our friends across the water did the fighting for us.

god bless the yanks.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 27/08/2010 15:55:30    757996

Ollie i was refering to the brits, but them too.

patmcgee (Longford) - Posts: 520 - 27/08/2010 16:25:36    758036

OLLIE
County: Louth
Posts: 2303

757996 patmcgee
County: Longford
Posts: 328

757960 We are lucky our friends across the water did the fighting for us.

god bless the yanks.

and the Reds, although.........

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13846 - 27/08/2010 16:46:23    758057

patmcgee
County: Longford
Posts: 329

758036 Ollie i was refering to the brits, but them too.

the brits only won because they got help of the yanks.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 27/08/2010 17:00:20    758072

You can never trust a Foreigner,especially if there a jumped up little corporal from Austria.

fortyfive (Tyrone) - Posts: 5929 - 27/08/2010 17:13:11    758084

What if the Nazis had won the war ? Would we be any worse off than we are now ? I doubt it !! They might have pulled out after a few years and left us with a 32 county Republic !!

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 27/08/2010 17:18:06    758088

The Nazis had little love for non Aryan race , so the Irish as a nation could have been under jeopardy I don't know many 6 foot plus Blonde Irish men or Women one or two around Dublin I suppose left behind when the Vikings left.

fortyfive (Tyrone) - Posts: 5929 - 27/08/2010 17:31:51    758103

They may have stripped us of our already meagre natural resources and shipped off all our able bodied men and women to work in the Reich as was the French experience.

Ireland may have been left as a serfdom where absentee German landlords got their share of the peasants production.

I suppose its all hypothetical but for a small nation like us it would have been a catastrophe.

caughtredhanded (Tyrone) - Posts: 602 - 27/08/2010 17:36:09    758107

there was a thread on this subject already, just linking it because the opening post has an excellent article on the subject from the Irish Times that those here might enjoy -

link

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4678 - 27/08/2010 17:48:44    758127

The Irish fought plenty for the British Empire on many occasions and as such any gratitude we owe them has been paid back ten fold and more in spilt Irish blood all over the world.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 27/08/2010 18:00:00    758145

Indeed Seanie.
When the Empire was at its height one third of its fighting forces were Irish. And less than a third were English

derryman (Derry) - Posts: 3246 - 28/08/2010 10:40:27    758411

irish people always do everything they can to distance themselves from the British Empire but the truth is the vast majority of irish people were happy to be part of Britain as it meant trade, employment...etc and as another poster pointed out Irish people did more than most to spread the Empire around the world by joining the british army. it is understandable that people dont want to face this reality but lying to yourself about irelands past is just silly, 'Nationalist' history tries to glaze over this by only focusing on rebellions and uprisings carried out once or twice a century by very small amounts of people and using these as a representation of Irish people over the past few centuries when the reality was irish people were glad to be part of britain, as uncomfortable as that might be for people to accept now.

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4678 - 28/08/2010 11:19:51    758438

Bad Monkey,

You might be right in some of what you say but you left out those two important words which probably mean the most " by consent " !! We never gave the British our consent to rule us !!

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 28/08/2010 12:10:27    758473

Ireland was a subjugated colony of the British empire, whose people were exploited, coerced, imprisoned, starved, deported to slave labour camps, killed, language and religion systematically attempted to be killed off, made homeless and driven off their lands at the behest of the British. It is very revisionist to try and portray the history of Ireland as some sort of utopia were Britain looked after the people and the people in turn gave to her allegiance. Ireland was not a sister state on an equal footing, Ireland was an occupied Country (the north of which still is) and as such can not be described as being a party to the unimaginable cruelty and death the British empire inflicted upon innocent peoples the globe over. I wont deny the fact Irishmen joined and fought for the British, a case of possibly fight or starve for some, but to use this as evidence of Irish consent and support freely given to the British empire is deceptive and misleading. The Irish people when given the chance voted overwhelmingly for representatives who strived for greater if not outright independence for Ireland. Although O'Connell and Parnell were described as parliamentary reformers, both seen the end objective as a free independent Ireland. The sporadic episodes of violence some refer to were regular acts of rebellion between constant low level armed agitation against the British presence. All of which proves the Irish were far from being "happy" in their occupation and submission to foreign rule.

artisan (Down) - Posts: 1795 - 28/08/2010 12:55:52    758512

However Ireland was more than happy for British soldiers to fight and die for Ireland's freedom while Ireland looked on in no danger whatsoever. Truly shameful

pplocal (Tyrone) - Posts: 5878 - 28/08/2010 13:10:57    758516

Not true Pomeroy !! It was not a war Irishmen were equipped to fight in as an Irish army as we did not have one and we had enough trouble with the British here to go and fight with them in Europe. Many did however and have not received any recognition worthy of their efforts from the British never mind at home !!

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 28/08/2010 13:59:47    758560

PomeroyPlunkett
County: Tyrone
Posts: 1271

758516
However Ireland was more than happy for British soldiers to fight and die for Ireland's freedom while Ireland looked on in no danger whatsoever. Truly shameful
______________________

The bitter truth.

patmcgee (Longford) - Posts: 520 - 28/08/2010 14:03:08    758565