Is Irelands neutrality stance in WW2 unfairly criticized? (see Mod note 217)

Mid Atlantic Gap?

The conclusion to be drawn obviously is that granted Britain had bases on the South coast of Ireland the present position would be unchanged, viz. vessels in convoy in the North Atlantic would still proceed to and from England via the North Channel or around the coast of Scotland. In fact, Cobh and Berehaven could be of no more advantage to the British from the point of view of escorts and assembly of convoys than Plymouth is to-day. Plymouth is not now used as an assembly or escort base for Atlantic convoys.

With regard to Lough Swilly, since that inlet is no longer under British control Lough Foyle is being used instead and escort craft of somewhat lesser dimensions in strength to that based on Lough Swilly 1917/18 now use the Foyle as a haven. Limavady aerodrome is on the East bank of the Foyle and it would be extremely difficult to obtain a tract of land suitable for an airfield adjacent to the Swilly to serve that Lough as Limavady serves the Foyle. In time factors, for the destroyer the Swilly is not more than half an hour more westward than the Foyle and considerably less than ten minutes westward for the aircraft. Buncrana was selected as a port of assembly for out-bound convoys during the last war. It was found unsuitable after two convoys only had been assembled there and the port of assembly was then changed to Lamlash.6 Buncrana was however retained as the escort port. Experts can no doubt put forward reasons to suit their arguments as to the advantages and disadvantages of the Foyle as an escort base when compared with the Swilly.

Meeting with Hempel

Pausing to reflect, she continues: “In hindsight, I believe that the reason De Valera called to the house was out of friendship. He and my father were personal friends: it wasn’t simply a case of prime minister and diplomat. There was more than that. He visited because he knew my father, and the condolences were to my father because his position [as envoy to Ireland] was finished.”In her final comment on the subject she says: “Hitler’s death didn’t mean a damn thing to my father; he was happy about it – like we are happy about Osama bin Laden.”

It actually worked against Dev that he had a good relationship with Hempel. If it had been a bad one, there's a fair possibility that the visit wouldn't have happened. It was mostly a diplomatic blunder by Dev….had he not gone to the ambassador's residence, nobody would even have noticed. It was a meaningless gesture that brought him a load of grief and not plaudits.

Wrong. In the immediate aftermath of the war, the U. S. (along with its allies) opposed Irish entry into the newly formed United Nations, punishing the country for its neutrality and Dev's condolences over Hitler, until Ireland was finally admitted in 1955.

Who seems to know more about Hempel than you do. Did you know Hempel gave the Nazi salute at the RDS Show in the presence of Hyde and Dev in 1938?

https://www.dib.ie/biography/hempel-eduard-a3916

Hempel also met the IRA in Ireland, with a view towards co-operation between Hempel's government and the IRA. No wonder the UK, US, Canadians etc hated him in those difficult times, and wanted him removed.

Ireland's rather unenthusiastic application was vetoed by the Soviet Union in 1946 and on five subsequent occasions before being allowed in 1955.

The US UK did not block our application and even if they did, a year after the UN formed they approved it.

Yet we are stridently told with ZERO back that we were ‘cold shouldered.

Did you read the article you posted? Or did you just do your usual and omit the bits you didn't like!

The Irish government preferred a non-National Socialist as minister. Hitler initially did not interfere with the foreign service; he later gave diplomats living abroad the option of either joining the Nazi party or leaving the service and ‘reeducation’. Hempel joined on 1 July 1938. He gave the Nazi salute at the Royal Dublin Horse Show in the presence of the president, Douglas Hyde (qv), the taoiseach, Éamon de Valera (qv), and the tánaiste, Seán T. O'Kelly (qv). The Auslands Organisation kept an eye on German nationals abroad. Hempel's predecessor in Dublin, von Dehn Schmidt, was disgraced for kissing the papal nuncio's ring.

Have you proof of his meetings with the IRA?

The inherent difficulties of this situation for Hempel, as official communicator between governments, were aggravated by German efforts to use Ireland against Britain through contacts with the IRA and the insertion of agents such as Herman Goertz (qv). In general Hempel's handling of the situation satisfied the British government

It was the German government and agents that met with the IRA not Hempel.

If Hempel was a Nazi who the Allies wanted to put on trial at Nuremberg then explain this?

De Valera, with Britain's Sir John Maffey (qv), facilitated Hempel's return to Germany in 1949. On 31 January 1950 he was reappointed to the foreign office

So the British helped him return. Was he put on trial? No, he was found to be the lowest level in the de-natzification process Category V- Exonerated.

Nobody like that in Britain was a member of the Nazi Party , answerable to Hitler, met and co-operated with the IRA ( Sean Russell did not die on a u-boat by accident), and sheltered in Ireland after the war, with Dev refusing to extradite him to the Allies for Nuremburg court and sentencing?

I've shown you proof that none of that is true where's yours?

Am I correct here, I have researched a bit and cannot find any verified source that says that Hempel's extradition was even requested.

How do you 'refuse' to extradite when nobody requested it?

I used the link you supplied but didn't read properly.

The inherent difficulties of this situation for Hempel, as official communicator between governments, were aggravated by German efforts to use Ireland against Britain through contacts with the IRA and the insertion of agents such as Herman Goertz (qv). In general Hempel's handling of the situation satisfied the British government

Hempel didn't meet with the IRA, Germany tried to. The British didn't have a problem with Hempel.

. De Valera, with Britain's Sir John Maffey (qv), facilitated Hempel's return to Germany in 1949. On 31 January 1950 he was reappointed to the foreign office, and on 15 March 1951 he took over responsibilities for its real estate and buildings at home and abroad.

The British helped Hempel return to Germany where rather than put him on trial he was fully exonerated and rejoined the Foreign Office.

I never mentioned the UN.

Here is the link you posted.

https://www.dib.ie/biography/hempel-eduard-a3916

Its not correct that there were "few if any" Germans in Ireland at the time. Dublin had a large German community. Many worked in the butcher trade - there was a tradition of butchers moving to Ireland fron the Black Forest region in the late 1800s, early 1900s - some of their names still survive itoday in brands such as Olhausen and Hafner. There was a very vibrant German Club on Marlborough Street - which even owned a League of Ireland soccer team for a while (Dolphin FC, who played in German colours). Most of these families first arrived before the Nazis came to power and by and large they did not support the Nazi regime. During WW2 they kept their heads down.