The suggestion that the League of Nations would have aided De Valera is surreal

Micheal O’Cathail (‘Eamon De Valera was no Nazi sympathiser,’ November 12, see link below) seeks to take me to task for impugning the reputation of De Valera and suggests that the “Great Powers of Europe” to which he referred were “likely” to be the League of Nations.

In March 1938 the dominant international issue was Hitler’s annexation of Austria (Anchluss). Since the League of Nations itself had no military forces and indeed was dominated by, as De Valera termed it, “England” the suggestion that the League of Nations would have aided De Valera, effectively Britain operating against Britain, is somewhat surreal.

I note that Mr O’Cathail offers no defence of the ‘blacklisting’ of those Irish citizens who participated in the fight against Nazism, a uniquely Irish post-war policy.

On a more personal note, Mr O’Cathail remarks “It is good that Robert Wallace is interested in things Irish”. I can assure Mr O’Cathail that I take no interest in anything Irish beyond what is required to refute any suggestion that I might be burdened with an Irish identity.

As Major Fred Crawford put it “I would be ashamed to call myself an Irishman, thank God I am not one, I am an Ulsterman, a totally different breed”.

Robert Wallace, Portadown

Eamon De Valera was no Nazi sympathiser

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