Hitler’s Irish Voices: The Story of German Radio’s Wartime Irish Service
David O’Donoghue
[Somerville Press]
Mikhail Bakhtin spoke of heteroglossia, where many voices contribute to the overall creation of a narrative. Hitler’s Irish Voices, then, treats the historical diffusion of voice and language in German radio broadcasts to Ireland during WWII, used to create effects of reportage and propaganda, to aid and disarm, to alert and confuse. In this meticulously researched, massively detailed work, David O’Donoghue tells the story of the Irland Redaktion, the Nazi Party’s officially sanctioned radio service to Ireland from December 1939 to May 1945 – a program that grew from humble beginnings as a weekly talk to a bilingual nightly broadcast direct from the heart of Nazi Germany.
O’Donoghue guides the reader slowly and carefully through the eminent German community extant in Ireland during the 1930s, before turning his lens on the radio service itself. The result is a compelling look at a neglected aspect of neutral Ireland’s European engagement during the conflict, with an engaging style and tone throughout. Remarkable trivia abound, and among the book’s most striking images is that of the Gresham Hotel’s upstairs function room, re-decorated with swastikas and Hitler portraits for the annual Auslandorganisation convention. This book is a must-read for anybody with even a cursory interest in Ireland’s place during WWII: O’Donoghue has made a fascinating study of the intrigue and machinations that surrounded our little country.
Words: James Hussey
