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(First published in 2019) Ireland remained neutral throughout World War II, but that is not to say there was no contribution from the Irish during the war. Many young Irish men did join the British army and also partook in Operation Overlord, more commonly known as D-Day. However, this blog is not about any of…
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On June 5, 1940, Governor Wouters refused entry to Jewish refugees from Austria who arrived by ship at the port of Curaçao. They were only allowed to disembark after pressure from the Minister for the Colonies. However, as citizens of an enemy nation, they were subsequently detained on Bonaire. It wasn’t until 1942, after repeated…
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Ruth Westheimer (June 4, 1928 – July 12, 2024), widely known as Dr. Ruth, was an American sex therapist, media personality, and author. The New York Times described her as a “Sorbonne-trained psychologist who became a cultural icon in the 1980s,” noting that she “ushered in a new age of freer, franker talk about sex…
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I interviewed Limerick based author Seosamh Ó Cuinneagáin. Though long settled in Limerick, Ó Cuinneagáin’s journey began in Co. Kilkenny, rooted in childhood stories told by Paddy Stapleton, a veteran of the Somme. Stapleton’s tales of German precision planted the seed of a lifelong obsession. Decades later, that curiosity manifested in twenty consecutive summers spent…
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Before diving into this historical account, I want to share a personal observation. This is not a political statement, but it is impossible to read these events without noticing the stark similarities to our world today, where countries continue to close their borders to refugees fleeing crisis. The MS St. Louis was a German ocean…
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On June 4, 1989, a violent and deeply consequential event unfolded in the heart of Beijing, China. What began as a peaceful protest calling for democratic reform and greater freedoms ended in a brutal crackdown that claimed the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands. The tragedy of Tiananmen Square remains one of the most defining moments…
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I was struggling with the title but to be honest I can’t think of another way of describing it. An estimated 1.5 to 2 million children were killed during the Holocaust. How many were killed in Auschwitz is not clear but if you consider that for example on October 10,1944 800 gypsy children were gassed,…
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The Dutch railways were essential to the Nazis, not only as the transport of Jews and others eastwards to the camps but also as a propaganda tool. During the pre-war crisis years, the Netherlands welcomed many malnourished Austrian children. Reichskommissar Seyss-Inquart, himself an Austrian, thought he should show gratitude for this. The Nazis, therefore, organized…
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The title is The 4 from Breda, but there are only 3 men pictured. There is a reason for that which I shall explain a bit later. After the Second World War, 241 Germans were tried in the Netherlands for war crimes. Among them, the quartet Willi Lages, Ferdinand aus der Fünten, Franz Fischer and Joseph Kotälla,…
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Enduring Pain In the silent depths of night,Where shadows whisper, hushed and tight,There lies a heart that beats in vain,A silent witness to the pain. Beneath the surface, out of sight,A soul endures, fierce in its fight,For pain, though sharp, will not define,The strength within this heart of mine. Each tear that falls, a testament,To…
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History of Sorts 