Proposed Pardon for Irish Army deserters

I despair that at a time of raw political and national emotions, a group of people put their lives and status on the line to fight alongside a still fresh "enemy" for a worldwide great good rather than accept local ambivalent status quo and they were not welcomed or seen as heroes.

I despair even more that a whole new generation with the full benefit of hindsight and facts that only serves to demonstrate the courage of these individuals chose to err on the side of old, antiquated biases and judgements while enjoying the freedom these people risked everything for.
 
You are a great lad for the despairing. I feel your despair.
 
I don't have a huge axe to grind on this one, but assuming these "deserters" swore an oath of alligieance, didn't they break the oath? Fair enough they did it to fight a terrible enemy, but even so...
 
oath of allegiance ?
Didnt that New York born half-Cuban guy , Eamon De something-or-other,swear an oath of allegiance in 1927 -or as he described it "an empty formula?".
This was the guy that offerred condolences to the Nazi German Ambassador on hearing of Hitler's death , by which time everyone knew about the horrors of Nazism.

Those brave men that went out and fought the Nazis whilst their supposed leader was offering condolences to Nazis should have statue raised in their memory.
 
oldnick said:
oath of allegiance ?
Didnt that New York born half-Cuban guy , Eamon De something-or-other,swear an oath of allegiance in 1927 -or as he described it "an empty formula?".
This was the guy that offerred condolences to the Nazi German Ambassador on hearing of Hitler's death , by which time everyone knew about the horrors of Nazism.

Those brave men that went out and fought the Nazis whilst their supposed leader was offering condolences to Nazis should have statue raised in their memory.
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It should be noted that Dev failed to do the same when Roosevelt died.
 
Did any Irish Soldiers desert and fight for the Germans? or for Finland against the Russians? or for Franco in Spain?
 
Irish people fought on both sides during the Spanish Civil War. Ironically, they shared the same ship to Lisbon before joining their brigadas.

I know of six Irishmen who joined WW2 on the side of the Allies. They refused to fight with the Brits and the Yanks hadn't entered the war at that stage so they joined the Red Army and fought on the Russian side. Some of them were never heard of since.

I read on some Irish newspaper five or so years ago about some Russian diplomat presenting medals of campaign to the families of the Irish soldiers.

I think William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) summed up the dreamed invasion of Ireland by Mr Hitler when he said "Germany is interested in oil wells not Holy wells . . ." Mr Churchill was less humoured in his summary of the same subject after the war.
 
jhegarty said:
They abandoned their posts during the biggest threat to Ireland since the Civil war.
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Just a short number of years after the economic war - they abandoned the Irish army.

Could they have simply quit the Irish army at the time?
 
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