EIRE’S DANGER OF INVASION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 5, 17 October 1940, Page 4

EIRE’S DANGER OF INVASION.

The danger of Eire; falling an easy prey to aggression, like Denmark and other countries,! was vigorously discounted by Mr de Valera in an interview given to the Dublin correspondent of the “Christian Science Monitor.” “Our position, is in many ways not comparable with that of those other small neutrals,” he said. He pointed out the geographical difficulties of invasion, the small, well-equipped, mechanised Irish Army trained for 20 years to resist invasion, and the recent recruiting of volunteers. He added that Eire, in its resolve to defend its neutrality, was united as never before and that those in Eire who might aid one or other of the belligerents were negligible. Finally, he said: “If A invades us, 13 would be ready to come to our aid.” When Mr de Valera’s attention was drawn to a report that the Irish Army would put up a mere show of force if Britain marched in first, he replied: “That’s a dangerous misapprehension. Whoever violated Irish territory would find no pretence about the resistance the Irish would put up.