The Hunt for Nazi Spies in World War II
Irish History Podcast
Fin Dwyer
4.7 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 26 October 2022
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
While Ireland remained neutral in the Second World War several Nazi agents were smuggled into the country. Their aims varied, some sought to establish contact with the IRA while others were spies.
In this episode, I interview historian Marc McMenamin about the attempts of Irish Military Intelligence's to catch these spies and agents.
Marc also explains the attitude of the IRA towards these individuals & the forgotten Irish code breakers in the war.
Its a fascinating story.
Marc has published two books on Irish Military Intelligence in the Second World War Codebreaker & Ireland's Secret War both of which are fantastic reads.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey folks, just a quick heads up before you dive into the episode. |
| 0:03.6 | My new book, Alita Legacy, a history of Ireland in 18 murders is coming out on September |
| 0:08.4 | the 14th. |
| 0:09.5 | You can still pre-order your copy today, or if you're going to be in Dublin next week, |
| 0:13.8 | it will be great to see you at the launch. |
| 0:16.2 | It's on at 6pm on Thursday, September the 14th in Hodges figures. |
| 0:20.8 | That's 6pm on September the 14th in Hodges figures on Dawson Street in the city center. |
| 0:26.2 | Swing in on your way home from work, it'll be a great event. |
| 0:28.8 | Sure, I'll see you there. |
| 0:43.3 | Hello and welcome to the Irish History Podcast. |
| 0:46.0 | My name is Finn Dwyer, and this is The Hunt for Nazi Spies in Ireland. |
| 0:59.0 | At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Irish Free State Government adopted a policy of |
| 1:04.2 | neutrality. |
| 1:05.2 | Now while this insured Ireland was not invaded, numerous Nazi agents were smuggled into Ireland |
| 1:12.5 | to gather intelligence and develop contacts with the IRA, who shared their hostility towards |
| 1:18.4 | Britain. |
| 1:19.4 | Therefore, during the war, Irish military intelligence had to launch a relentless pursuit of these |
| 1:26.2 | spies. |
| 1:27.9 | Often cooperating with British counter espionage, this was a highly successful operation as |
| 1:33.2 | they captured all known German agents who landed on the island. |
| 1:37.9 | Now in this episode I interview Mark McMahonman, the author of two books, Ireland's Secret |
| 1:43.8 | War and Codebreaker. |
... |
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