Post-War Anglo-Irish Relations

Abstract

This paper explores how the broadcasts delivered by Winston Churchill on 13 May 1945 and Éamon de Valera on 17 May 1945 were portrayed in the Irish press between May and August of that year. Specifically, it analyses how Irish newspapers justified the policy of neutrality, which was considered morally questionable during the battle against totalitarianism; how they explained the Anglo-Irish relationship in a way that defended Ireland's position in the post-war world; and how they reported on small nations under threat of the USSR to legitimise Ireland's situation. By studying the media coverage of these broadcasts, this paper reveals how Irish newspapers imagined the course of the nation.