The Irish Women Who Fought the Nazis in World War II (The French Resistance Part II)
Irish History Podcast
Fin Dwyer
4.7 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 4 July 2023
⏱️ 22 minutes
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Summary
**This is the second of two episodes on the story of Irish people who fought in the French Resistance. Part I was released last week.**
Few Irish people recognise the names Sr Katherine Anne McCarthy or Patricia O'Sullivan. However during the Second World War II they were among the dozens of Irish women who fought in the underground war against the Nazi occupation of France. The stories of these women are unbelievable. My guest in this episode, Dr David Murphy, from Maynooth University reveals the risks they took and the harrowing consequences for those who were caught.
If you have family members who served in the Resistance get in touch with David at david.murphy@mu.ie.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In general, history has downplayed the role that women have played in military conflicts |
| 0:09.5 | through the ages. |
| 0:11.5 | Until very recently, war was generally considered the preserve of men, but increasingly we know |
| 0:17.4 | that's not the case. |
| 0:19.7 | That tradition of view was based on an extremely narrow understanding of war, purely as battlefield |
| 0:25.7 | engagements, which do tend to be male-dominated. |
| 0:29.2 | However, women play less visible but crucial roles in everything from military logistics |
| 0:34.8 | to surveillance and planning. |
| 0:37.1 | I think it's fair to say that that's even more the case in guerrilla conflicts like |
| 0:42.0 | the Irish Revolution or the French Resistance to the Nazis. |
| 0:46.2 | Indeed, in the Irish experience, the key role women played remained in largely forgotten |
| 0:50.8 | throughout the 20th century, until recent research has led to a greater understanding |
| 0:56.2 | and acknowledgement of their involvement. |
| 0:59.2 | When it comes to the story of the French Resistance, the general picture was similar. |
| 1:04.5 | If 20th century histories were to be believed the resistance was male-dominated and French |
| 1:09.3 | women, at most, played a very minor role, fighting the Nazi occupation of their country, |
| 1:15.4 | most movies and dramas tend to reinforce this, even the ones that do include prominent women |
| 1:21.0 | often portray them as unusual or atypical. |
| 1:25.5 | At this episode of The Podcast, the second of two, on the story of Irish involvement |
| 1:31.2 | in the French Resistance, reveals a very different history. |
| 1:35.3 | My guest, Dr. David Murphy, has made remarkable discoveries about Irish women's involvement |
| 1:41.1 | in the French Resistance. |
... |
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