Dublin Port’s Emergency Story
We are pleased to announce a wonderful project for the Dublin Port Company that will tell the story of the Emergency (1939 – 1946) in Dublin; in particular the defence of Dublin and the port. If you are a veteran or there is a veteran from this period in your family that served in the Dublin area either with the Irish Army, Marine Service/Inscription, Air Corps, Local Defence Force, Local Security Force, Air Raid Warden or St. John Ambulance please do get in touch. We would like to record as many of these stories as possible before they are lost to time.
Although Ireland declared neutrality it did not escape the war. Members of the Defence Forces, emergency services, and Merchant Navy risked their lives to ensure Ireland and its citizens were defended and supplies kept coming in. Anti-Aircraft batteries, coastal artillery, and coastal Look Out Posts became a common feature around the country. Naturally Dublin – the capital – and its port were vital to Ireland’s survival. The war came directly to the Irish people more than once. On several occasions Luftwaffe aircraft jettisoned their bombs after getting lost on their way to targets in Northern Ireland or the United Kingdom. Probably the most significant attack in Dublin came on the night of 31 May 1941, when four high-explosive bombs were dropped by Luftwaffe aircraft on the North Strand area of Dublin City. Twenty-eight people were killed and 90 more were injured in the blast. Some 400 people were left homeless.
We’d love to hear from you if you have a story you’d like to tell.Please Share this post with your friends.
Images with thanks to: Military Archives, Air Corps Museum, Dublin City Archives, and the Independent Newspapers Ireland/NLI collection.