So the $50K question is why would you complete an aerodrome this large at Rineanna🇮🇪 in 1943 during WW2 with 4 concrete runway’s, accommodation for 100+ personnel, bunker’s, pillboxes, tunnel’s, Fort Shannon for protection & 1,000’s of 🇮🇪soldiers nearby, for 4 🇮🇪Air Corps planes? The Air Base at Rineanna🇮🇪 included a 3 Bay Hanger, a C/Officer's house, a Terminal building, Control Tower, Barracks/huts, Canteen Hall, Church, Pub & Garda Barracks surrounded by barbed wire & pillboxes. The longest runway 5,280 ft & the marine basin could hold 15 flying-boats.

In Feb 1945 Cranborne the British Dominion Secretary🇬🇧 advised the Cabinet “Although the S Ireland (Éire🇮🇪) Government has in fact helped us in a number of unobtrusive ways (lists 14) & entitled to stay out (of WW2) if she thought right" he was determined to block her UN🇺🇳 entry. 1. They agreed to our use of Lough Foyle🇮🇪 for 🇬🇧naval & air purposes. The ownership is disputed but the Southern Irish🇮🇪 authorities are tacitly not pressing their claim in the present conditions & are also ignoring any flying by our aircraft over the Donegal shore of the Lough.

After the fall of France🇫🇷 Foynes Flying-Boat Base🇮🇪 became a vital Military Air-Base. From Sept 1942-Dec 1943 alone, 2,065 US🇺🇸 Army & Navy, 409 British🇬🇧 War Office, 909 British Air Ministry & 300 British Admiralty top brass with 'civil servant' passports passed through Foynes. This is the schedule at Foynes🇮🇪 for just 2 weeks in Sept 1943. Poole Harbour🇬🇧 was the RAF🇬🇧 seaplane base in Dorset. Botwood Newfounderland🇨🇦 was the Royal Canadian Air Force base🇨🇦. The US Navy Boeing 314 Clippers🇺🇸 were flown by US Navy pilots🇺🇸 & all planes were camouflaged.

The Irish Air Corps Reconnaissance & Medium Bomber Squadron🇮🇪 estd.1937, flew 9 Avro Anson's. The Fighter Squadron🇮🇪 ‘Small But Fierce' estd.1939, flew 4 Gloster Gladiator's & 6 Westland Lysander's. The Coastal Patrol Squadron🇮🇪 estd.1939, flew 3 Supermarine Walruses. In 1939 3 Ansons & 2 Walruses relocated from Baldonnel to Rineanna (Shannon Airport) with a handful of pilots & ground personnel. Facilities were primitive; no hangars, no direction-finding station & no wireless. For major maintenance/repairs, aircraft had to return to Baldonnel.

This is an amazing article that outlines a huge amount of Anglo-Irish 🇬🇧🇮🇪cooperation during WW2, including armaments, wireless equipment, radar systems, transmitters, anti-aircraft defences, Coastal Patrols, Hurricanes, postal censorship & Fort Shannon. researchgate.net/publication/27… In 1941 Britain🇬🇧 supplied Éire🇮🇪 with 12 3.7"anti-aircraft guns, 4 18-pounders, 12 75mm guns & trailers, 100K grenades, 250K rounds 303 ammo, demolition explosives & armor plating. The British🇬🇧 viewed these supplies to neutral Ireland🇮🇪 as essential & strategically beneficial.

The Irish🇮🇪 & Irish Americans🇮🇪🇺🇸 in the President Biden/VP Harris Administration🇺🇸 include Mike Donilon (Advisor), Carmel Martin (DPC) Gina McCarthy (NCA), John McCarthy (Advisor) Jen O’Malley Dillon (Dep CoS), Samantha Power (USAID), Jake Sullivan (NSA) & Marty Walsh (SoL). Denis McDonough (b.1969) whose grandparents came from the Gaeltacht, Connemara Co Galway,🇮🇪 is the US Secretary of Veterans Affairs🇺🇸 & had previously served as White House Chief of Staff, Deputy National Security Advisor & Chief of Staff at the National Security Council 2009-17.

In 1938 PM Neville Chamberlain🇬🇧 (knowing war was imminent) returned the Treaty Ports (Lough Swilly, Spike Island & Berehaven) to Éire🇮🇪 unconditionally & ended the Anglo-Irish Trade War for £10M. The Ports were poorly maintained difficult to defend & needed a massive investment. In return Chamberlain placated the powerful Irish-American🇮🇪🇺🇸 lobby, which allowed Britain🇬🇧 appeal for US help when WW2 started, allowed Irish beef exports to Britain recommence (0 tons 1938 to 16K tons 1941) & saved on the huge investment needed for the Ports & Army/RAF bases.

After 8 weeks +4M views revealing the huge contribution from Éire🇮🇪 to the Allies in WW2 & exposing the myths as lies, it’s time to remember the Irish🇮🇪men & women that participated in nearly every war/battle worth fighting in & for every cause/country worth dying for. Thank you. No 1 Contribution to the Allies: In WW2 48K mainly Allied military & diplomats flew through Foynes Co Limerick Éire🇮🇪 (& cargo & mail) run by USN & RN. Long-range Airbases were the real strategic facilities the Allies needed in WW2 & they got one from Europe to the US & N Africa.

The tragic story of the 3 Sheehan brothers from Fermoy Co Cork Éire🇮🇪& Vancouver, W/O Harry KIA on a Lancaster 13th May 1943, F/Sgt Frank KIA on a Lancaster 2nd Oct 1943 & F/Sgt Edward KIA on a Halifax 28th April 1944 all with the Royal Canadian Air Force. irishamericancivilwar.com/2017/11/12/cos… Warrant Officer Harry Sheehan, RCAF, Wireless Operator aged 24, was KIA when his Lancaster Bomber was shot down on a raid over Duisburg Germany by a Luftwaffe nightfighter on the 13th May 1943. Buried in Gendringen RC Cemetery Holland.

Excellent article by Ryle Dwyer. irishexaminer.com/opinion/commen… The real threat to Ireland was not from naval but from aerial attack & the development of long-range transatlantic airpower was understood in Ireland through Seán Lemass’ vision for Eire🇮🇪 as hub in transatlantic aviation. In the new world of long-range airpower, the Treaty Ports under the control of care & maintenance parties, were from a bygone age, long before they were handed to Eire🇮🇪 in 1938. Airbases were the real strategic facilities the Allies needed & they got them at Foynes & Rineanna.

These are the positions of the Radio Stations at Rineanna Aerodrome (Shannon Airport) & Foynes Flying Boat base in July 1939. Regular weather reports to the UK & reports from the Coastal Patrols on incursions into Irish airspace, were invaluable during WW2. Another map from 1938.

Brilliant map showing the location of the 83 Coastal Lookout Posts & EIRE signs, Wireless masts, Coastal Artillery & Aerodromes in Éire🇮🇪 during WW2. Also gives the location of the German U-260, that was scuttled off the Cork coast in March 1945 & the minefield off Co Waterford. Legend has it that a map of all the EIRE numbers at the Lookout Posts was given to the German’s, with all the number’s in the wrong place! A photo from Howth last weekend No 7!

Neutral Switzerland, Turkey & Portugal had very few soldiers fighting in WW2. Sweden sent 8K to Finland & Spain 19K to Germany. They could not join the Allies as easily as Éire 🇮🇪 who had 70K in the British Forces & probably a similar number in the US Forces (16M) & other Allies. Switzerland maintained armed neutrality during WW2 & was not invaded by its neighbors, in part because of its topography, much of which is mountainous. It served as a "protecting Power" for the belligerents of both sides, with a special role in helping POW's & 300K refugees.

Over 200 planes crashed/made forced landings in Éire 🇮🇪 during WW2. All but 15 were Allied aircraft. There were 823 aircrew, 223 of which were casualties. Below, the full military honours rendered to the crew of RAF Hampden, that crashed near Blessington Co Wicklow in April 1941. In 1942 RAF Flight Lieut Rory O'Moore, the Liason Officer with the salvage teams, travelled the Country & quickly made friends with the locals. He had a sizeable expense account which he dipped into generously & the Air Corps considered he sacrificed his liver for King & Country.

Some paragraph's from 'Wings Over Ireland' by Donal MacCarron, related to Rineanna (Shannon Airport) during WW2 & the pivotal part it played. Coastal patrols started in Sept 1939, covering from Donegal to Wexford, searching for German submarines/vessels & survivors of sinkings. Unfortunately the 3 Ansons & 2 Walruses carrying out the patrols, took a terrible battering from the weather & despite the additional Hudson, the service was reduced by June 1940 to the 2 Walruses, who were called out when needed, by the 83 lookout Posts along the coastline.

The Irish Air Corps (estd. April 1937) Reconnaissance & Medium Bomber Sqdn, flew 9 Avro Anson's, the Fighter Squadron 'Small But Fierce' (estd. March 1939), flew 4 Gloster Gladiator's & 6 Westland Lysander's & the Coastal Patrol Sqdn (estd. May 1939), flew 3 Supermarine Walruses. In 1939 3 Ansons & 2 Walruses relocated from Baldonnel to Rineanna (Shannon Airport) with a handful of pilots & ground personnel. Facilities were primitive; no hangars, no direction-finding station & no wireless. For major maintenance/repairs, aircraft had to return to Baldonnel.

In 1938 PM Neville Chamberlain (knowing war was imminent) returned the Treaty Ports (Lough Swilly, Spike Island & Berehaven) to Ireland unconditionally & ended the Anglo-Irish Trade War for £10M. The Ports were poorly maintained, difficult to defend & needed a massive investment. In return Chamberlain placated the powerful Irish-American lobby, which allowed Britain appeal for US help when WW2 started, allowed Irish beef exports to Britain recommence (from 0 tons 1938 to 16K tons 1941) & saved on the huge investment needed for the Ports & Army/RAF bases.

In the Battle of the Atlantic there was an area mid-way where convoys were defenceless called the Black Gap. The Donegal Corridor narrowed this gap by 100 miles & allowed the RAF protect convoys from Iceland to the French coast, a turning point in the war. donegaldiaspora.ie/place/donegal-… A Memorial in Ballyshannon Co Donegal, acknowledges the Anglo-Irish agreement that allowed this vital short cut & commemorates the Allied & Irish airmen & sailors, who lost their lives in the Battle of the Atlantic.