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Papers: List of recent meetings |
De La Salle by Paddy Sexton |
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Nazis in Fingal |
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Hitler Youth camps in Fingal provided local interest at a fascinating historical meeting in Skerries recently. Local journalist Gerry Mullins, found a collection of letters written by a Dr. Adolf Mahr to a friend in the States, while researching another article in California. Speaking at a well attended meeting of the Skerries Historical Society in December, Mr. Mullins told a captivated audience the story of Dr Mahr, who lived in Dublin with his wife and four children from 1927-'39. He held the prestigious role of Director of the National Museum of Ireland, and was greatly respected both in Ireland, where he knew Éamon DeValera personally, and in his birthplace of Austria. However, Mahr also had a darker side - he was the leader and co-founder of the Irish branch of the Nazi Party, which he built it into a 250-strong organisation. The story also focused on Mahr's children who grew up in Dublin. Aged five and one respectively, Gustav and Hilda moved with their parents Marie and Adolf Mahr to Ireland in 1927. Their two younger sisters, Ingrid (now 75) and Brigid (now 73) were born a number of years later. They led a relatively normal life in Dublin, enjoyed visiting St Stephen's Green, and attended primary and secondary schools in the area. Mr. Mullins also discovered that the Mahr family often holidayed in Fingal, mostly in Malahide, but also in Skerries where they stayed at the Grand Hotel which later became the De La Salle School. Dr. Mahr's children got involved with the Hitler Youth movement founded by their father in Dublin. The movement held summer camps of up to 50 in Hampton Hall. His eldest two children Gustav (80) and Hilda (77) described to Mr. Mullins in a number of interviews in Germany how Balbriggan was to become the scene of their Nazi Youth meetings from 1936 to 1938. Page updated - 22 / 2 / 2004. |
'The adults were very keen we did this so that we could learn some German history and practice our German outside the families,' Gustav told Mr. Mullins. At Hampton Court, the young Nazis were encouraged to partake in hikes, night-walks, patriotic songs as well as the more insidious elements of Nazism including military-style drills and propaganda films. In the summer of 1939 Mahr decided the family should go on a six-week holiday to Germany. It was the last time, he was to see the country. 'If he had stayed in Ireland he would probably have been interned,' speculated Mr. Mullins. During WW II Mahr worked in Berlin and was head of German Radio's wartime Irish propaganda service that broadcast nightly all over Ireland in Irish and in English. His charges included the late controversial writer Francis Stuart. Mahr's radio propaganda work brought him into regular contact with 'Lord Haw Haw'. After the war, Mahr was arrested by the Allies and interned for his Nazi sympathies. He died from a heart attack in 1951. Mr. Mullins featured photographs during the meeting and said it went 'very well and it was great to see a full house turn out to hear about this interesting aspect of Fingal's history'. There were many comments from the audience, some of whom were familiar with Hampton Hall and The Grand Hotel where the Mahrs holidayed in Skerries. 'When is the film coming out', was a question which was only half joking!  Click for Dáil debates, 1945 - '46 |