Ireland in WWII

German photo, Connemara

Operation Green was a plan by Nazi Germany (perhaps real; perhaps a ruse to distract the enemy) to invade Ireland. The full briefing consists of five volumes of photographs (including this one), sketches and maps, including tourist photos of the coast. The purported idea was to distract British troops, make Ireland a staging area for German troops rather than British ones, and intercept any American shipping coming to Europe. 

It is possible that this possible threat played into Britain’s decision to expend quite a bit of energy trying to get Ireland to join the Allies. Winston Churchill dangled the possibility of a free and united Ireland before then-President Éamon de Valera, but understandably de Valera questioned his sincerity.

Churchill’s efforts didn’t see fruit. The Irish Free State, as it was known then, declared a neutral stance while quietly helping the Allies. The first American soldiers to join the war landed in Ireland, and American planes were allowed to refuel at Shannon Airport. German soldiers who survived a downed plane or shipwreck were held in detention by the Irish for the duration of the war, while similar Allied soldiers were sent on their merry way to continue the fight. A tower was built near Ballyconneely in Connemara to keep a lookout for German ships. The IRA however, having been bitterly opposed to any cooperation with the British despite the Anglo-Irish treaty, toyed with support of Nazi Germany as they still considered Britain a common enemy. 

Oh, and Nazis didn’t invade Ireland as it turns out. 

The Wild Atlantic Way

Image by Bernhard from Pixabay

The Wild Atlantic Way is as untamed and beautiful as the name suggests. It is 2600 km long (1600 mi) and is one of the “longest defined coastal routes in the world” per website thewildatlanticway.com. It runs from Cork at Ireland’s south end to Derry in the north and is home to stunning cliffs, beautiful beaches, mystical lakes, wild bays and magical islands

A section of the Way runs from Galway up to Clifden, bordered by the ocean on the west and the Twelve Pins (or Bens- “Ben” from the Irish “Binn” which means “peak”) on the left. It’s in a Gaeltacht region- a place where you can still hear Irish spoken in shops and pubs. It continues from Clifden up to Westport where you can see the sacred mountain Croagh Patrick (where St. Patrick reportedly had it out with some snakes). The thousands of yearly penitents who climb the peak barefoot for their sins have caused erosion, making the climb more dangerous than heretofore.

Roundtree

Bog Cotton by Christel from Pixabay

The mountain of Errisbeg rises to almost 1,000 feet in the background of the ancient and wild Roundstone Bog. Admire the bog’s windswept beauty from the road- a bog’s a bog, after all. You may see someone cutting peat for home fires (or to flavor whiskey), or you may see bricks drying in the (intermittent) sun.

Peat bricks drying by Wälz from Pixabay

Roundstone is a charming harbor village south of Clifden known for delightful restaurants and traditional handicrafts, particularly pottery. There is also a music shop where a respected craftsman creates the traditional Irish drum called the Bodhrán (Bow-Rawn).