Albert Luykx

Albert Luykx was a Belgian-Irish businessman and former Nazi. He was born in the Vlaams Gewest region in Belgium to a family of furniture makers. Following the invasion of Belgium, the Luykx family, like most furniture makers during the Nazi occupation, made barracks for the occupying forces. Soon after the occupation, Luykx joined the 6th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Langemarck Brigade of the Waffen-SS. After the war, he was captured and sentenced to death by the Belgian authorities, though the sentence was later commuted to 20 years imprisonment.

He escaped in 1948 and fled to Holland where, using false identity papers, he acquired a valid Dutch passport in the name of Franciscus Josef Faes. Thence, he travelled to the Republic of Ireland. He was granted political asylum in Ireland by the then Minister for Justice Gerald Boland, though years later, after the arms trial, there were heated questions in the Dail about the admission of a foreigner who had been sentenced to death for Nazi collaboration.

He ran numerous restaurants and bars in Ireland, finally buying the old Jameson family home, Sutton House, on Shielmartin Road in Sutton, Dublin. Luykx raised Fallow Deer on the grounds, which he acquired from Dublin County Council, who were planning a partial cull of the Fallow Deer herd in the Phoenix Park. Sutton House later became Sutton House Hotel and was run by Luykx's son-in-law, while Luykx built a family home and a factory on the grounds. He had two sons and four daughters. Relative to the rest of Ireland at the time, they enjoyed a very affluent lifestyle.

He became friendly with figures such as Charles Haughey. In 1971 it is alleged that he was asked by Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney to acquire arms with the intention of arming the Irish Republican Army. Luykx was subsequently tried in the resulting Arms Crisis. He was acquitted.

Following his death, his family home was sold to Neil Blaney.

References

* Sunday Business Post article by Vinvent Browne: http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2003/07/20/story977651736.asp
* Dail Eireann debates: http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0251/D.0251.197102180035.html