True To Ireland

In the 1930s, a number of Irishmen came to New Zealand seeking a better life. Many carried bitter memories of the atrocities committed by the Black and Tans and the British during WWI and the early 1920s.

With the onset of WWII came the threat of conscription into the armed forces. As citizens of a neutral country, many Irishmen refused to betray their homeland by fighting for New Zealand and, by default, Britain. They formed the Eire National Association (ENA) to represent them in their battle against conscription. This not only opened discussions with the New Zealand government under Peter Fraser but also with the Irish prime minister, Eamon de Valera, thus pioneering direct diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Peter Burke's father was one of this group of immigrant Irishmen, and he documents the ENA's struggles with officials and politicians. The book recounts how 155 Irishmen, including his father, faced deportation back to Ireland in the middle of WWII.

True To Ireland offers a compelling glimpse into the lives and trials of these Irish immigrants in New Zealand during a turbulent period in history.