- Caught in a Free State
Caught in a Free State was a dramatised television series made by
Radio Telefis Éireann in 1983. This four part series was about German spies in neutralIreland duringWorld War II , known in Ireland as "The Emergency".Production
The series was written by Brian Lynch [http://www.irishwriters-online.com/brianlynch.html] , with music by Seóirse Bodley and directed by Peter Ormrod. The series was the winner of the best drama award at the Banff International Television Festival in
Canada and also won aJacob's Award in Ireland.Parts of the dialogue were recorded in German with English subtitles, partly in the hope of a sale of the series to a German television station.
Principal actors
*Goetz Burger [http://movies.nytimes.com/person/409797/Goetz-Burger] as "Gunther Schultz" (based on
Günther Schütz ofAbwehr )
*Peter Jankovsky [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1788872/] asHermann Görtz (chief spy ofAbwehr in Ireland)
*John Kavanagh [http://imdb.com/name/nm0442559/] as "Colonel Brian Dillon" (based on Colonel Dan Bryan [http://www.ucd.ie/archives/html/collections/bryan-dan-mem.html] of the G2 section of theIrish Army )
*Barry McGovern asÉamon de Valera (Taoiseach )
*Niall Toibin as Stephen Hayes (Irish Republican Army )
*O.Z. Whitehead asDavid Gray (US Ambassador to Ireland)Episodes
The spies are frequently depicted as out of touch with the realities of Irish life. They are also often depicted as individuals highly unsuited for espionage. At times, the absurdities take on a comic dimension - such as in the arrest of Henry Obed, an Indian working for Abwehr. It is notable that the German plans for Operation Green (the intended invasion of Ireland) also included a considerable amount of outdated information.
Whilst dramatised (and some names have been changed, notably that of Schütz to "Schultz") the plots in "Caught in a Free State" are based on actual events and persons. The anachronistic reference to "Free State" is deliberate as the
Irish Free State had been superseded by the newConstitution of Ireland of 1937, which is a recurring theme. Both Günther Schütz and Dan Bryan were still alive during the filming (in 1983), hence the change of names.*Episode 1: Hermann Görtz is parachuted into Ireland. He tries to return to Germany by boat but is intercepted by the
Irish Navy and interned.*Episode 2: Ernst Weber-Drohl, a 60 year old former circus strongman, is landed by submarine on the coast of
County Wexford .*Episode 3: "Gunter Schultz" is arrested, interogated and threatened with execution for spying.
*Episode 4: The end of the War. Herman Görtz commits suicide rather than face deportation.
Transmission
It was also broadcast in the
United Kingdom onChannel 4 in April 1984 and repeated in July 1986.ee also
*
History of the Republic of Ireland
*Irish neutrality
*Irish neutrality during World War II
*IRA/Abwehr collaboration in World War II
*Plan Kathleen
*Operation Green
*Oskar Metzke External links
* [http://www.brianlynch.org/ Brian Lynch (writer)]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435946/ Description on Internet Move Database]
* [http://www.rte.ie RTÉ]
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