Volume 8 1945~1948


Doc No.
Date
Subject

No. 179 NAI DFA 305/23 Part 1B

Minute by Cornelius C. Cremin on Breton nationalists

Dublin, 29 August 1946

Professor Agnes O'Farrelly1 telephoned me on the 24th instant to say that a Breton, who had landed clandestinely, had been referred to her by Dr. Paul O'Farrell. Dr. O'Farrell is the husband of Dr. Murphy2 of the Save the German Children Society. Professor O'Farrelly wanted to know what would be done about the man in question. I told her that there might be some difficulty in regard to him as if we were to permit persons, whose political activity is looked upon with disfavour by the French authorities, to enter and remain in this country, we might be open to a charge of adopting an unfriendly attitude towards France. I suggested that she might give me his name. She told me on the 27th instant that the man in question is Goulet3 and that he claims to be a political refugee. As a result of a conversation I had had with the Secretary the previous afternoon, in the course of which he said that the man will probably be deported (because of complications likely to arise with the French and because of the fact that lenient treatment of such people might create difficulty in connection with our different attitude towards the admission here of people like Degrelle) I informed Professor O'Farrelly that Goulet should report to the Police. She telephoned me on the 28th instant to say that she had seen him again and is satisfied that he is a political refugee. She added that he seemed to know nobody here and had been in contact with the Save the German Children Society.

1 Agnes O'Farrelly (1874-1951), academic, prominent member of the Gaelic League, Professor of Modern Irish in UCD (1932-47).

2 Dr. Kathleen Farrell (née Murphy), founded the Save the German Children Society during the Second World War (also known as Saor an Leanbh).

3 Yann Goulet (1914-99), Breton nationalist, sculptor and wartime German collaborator.