Other Forces

Neutrality in a Free State - Dev inspects troops.

Unknown - possibly Irish Press newspaper.

Irish Free State Prime Minister Éamonn de Valera inspects an honour guard of the Irish Free State Army, possibly at the (then) annual parade commemorating the 1916 Easter Rising late in the period of the "Emergency". Note that the 1927 "German-type" helmet has vanished in favour of British "Brodie" helmets. "Dev" was and (believe it or not) remains a very divisive figure in Irish politics. "The Chief" was the embodiment of the "anti-Treaty" element in the bitter Irish civil war who, by this time, had achieved political power over the winners of this war by democratic means. This would have suggested an anti-British orientation, an orientation still held by many hardline Republicans, even members of his Fianna Fáil Party. However, his government followed a dangerous course of neutrality in WW2, based on the conviction that the new Irish State was much too weak at the time to engage itself directly in a world war. In practice, this neutrality was quietly pro-Allies, whatever more incendiary British and US politicians and officials may have professed to think. As the saying went, "we know we are neutal - and we know who we are neutral against !". Most Irish people today would credit De Valera, at least, with preserving Ireland as far as possible from the damage that could have been inflicted on its weak economy and still fractured society by participation in the war. Building on this, it was left to his ruthless Minister for Supply, and successor, Seán Lemass, to initiate the first wave of modernization of the Irish economy in the 1950s. Best regards, JR.