@ORAC
I fully agree with the sentiment you posted. I'm no supporter of the position taken by De Valera on many issues. The actions of the State in this and many other issues in its short existence have been, IMHO at best, delinquent, and the hand of De Valera and indeed, latterly that of Archbishop John Charles McQuaid steered the history of this country in some very dark and sinister ways.
My post wasn’t an attempt to support the position, merely to add some perspective. Keep in mind that by 1939, Irish men had fought and died in the first world war as members of the British Army, as Ireland was still part of the UK at the time, seen their capital levelled by that same army in response to a relatively small and poorly organised armed insurrection (plenty of historical photographs of the destruction laid on the centre of Dublin following shelling to end the 1916 Easter Rising) and its leaders executed, fought a war of independence on the island which was followed by a civil war that divided families, all before the end of the 1920’s. By the late 1930’s there was little support to enter what at the time was seen as someone-elses war. Add to that a fear that during WWII Britain would invade to secure use of the ports on the Atlantic coast and you can perhaps see why there was little support at the time for those who ‘took the kings shilling’.
By today’s standards the actions of the State were incredibly harsh, but there was little outcry at the time.
@TR
I don’t think the duration of a State’s history is a determinant of the fidelity its citizens owe to it. The British dominion that was the Irish Free State ceased to exist in 1937, being replaced with the current sovereign State, namely, Ireland. The UK as it is currently constituted has existed since 1922.
Certainly there may have been members of the Irish armed forces in 1939 who were formerly members of the British regiments in Ireland and elsewhere. Many will have fought on one side or the other in the Irish Civil War post the creation of Free State ("so called" or not). Either way, I doubt many would have questioned the loyalty of any of them to what they saw as their country.
Overall, the actions have to been seen in their historical context. Personally, I do believe that the punishment was far in excess of what was warranted by the 'crime'.
JAS