Northern Ireland, British-Irish Relations and American Concerns, 1942-1956

Abstract

This article considers the political impact of particular Irish controversies during the Second World War and the post-war period. It highlights the American dimension to these controversies, and examines what they reveal about different sets of inter-governmental relations, especially that of London and Belfast. The article argues that the context of wartime, and the circumstances of the post-war era, should have led to more effective cooperation between the Westminster and Stormont governments to the end of improving the operation of devolution and ensuring the curtailment of corrupt practices. The article also contends that there were significant tensions between different areas of successive London governments which hampered the effective handling of Irish matters.