Posted on June 7, 2010
When the Jewish people were in peril of being totally extinguished, Ireland — or ‘Eire’, as the 26 counties were then called — did not lift a finger to help out. The Irish National Archives have overflowing files of letters to the Irish authorities from European Jews in the period 1938-1940, begging for help from or asylum in this country. Mr de Valera even refused to participate in the ‘Kindertransport’ project.