Book Review: Irish Secrets by Mark M. Hull

 

Mostly about espionage, avoids too much concentration on the IRA-Germany connection.

This was a really good book! Well written, packed with information, its main focus is on the activities of the Abwehr in Ireland from just before World War 2 through the entire conflict. I wanted to read this book as I had seen a documentary on TV about the collusion between the IRA and the Germans during WW2 (plan Kathleen). 

While the book does talk about Plan Kathleen and does mention the IRA, the author avoids too much discussion about the IRA itself. Most of the attention is on the individual German agents who are drawn colorfully and showing all their failings. It seems Ireland wasn't very high on Canaris' list and he didn't send very good agents there. The fact that he was probably trying to sabotage his own plans (some say Canaris was working against the Nazis or at least ambivalent about them) explains why he sent out such obviously poor agents.

The book gives a lot of information on espionage itself, the use of codes, signals, the "book code" and background such as that so it is a more of a history of espionage in the 20th century than about Irish internal politics.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in Irish History of this period, espionage, propaganda, or World War II history. Its well and lively written with plenty of photographs throughout.