Janie McCarthy, a teacher from Killarney and somewhat unlikely résistante, is the first in the cast of fascinating characters whose stories are skillfully woven together in Clodagh Finn and John Morgan’s new book, The Irish in the Resistance.

Details of the comings and goings of Janie’s unassuming fifth-floor Parisian flat draw the reader into the world of Comet, one of the largest resistance networks in wartime Europe, and its extensive escape lines.

Throughout the book, Finn and Morgan deftly explicate captivating personal stories, rich with details which offer glimpses into the lived realities of resistance work. Familiar figures, such as Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty and Samuel Beckett, are well-covered by Finn and Morgan.

However, much of the book focuses on reclaiming hidden stories, deeply enriching our understanding of the roles played by Irish people in the resistance as a result.

The authors’ welcome focus on women’s stories addresses how often female contributions are overlooked. It is noted that whilst only a small number of Irish people engaged with the resistance, more than half of those were women.

Details including the description of Dublin-born dancer Margaret Kelly’s arrest and transportation to an internment camp whilst heavily pregnant and the moving image of Andreé Dumon combing the hair of Moore Street’s Catherine Crean in Ravensbrück — shortly before Crean’s death in the camp in 1945 — bring these women’s stories to life. They enable the reader to relate to their fears, admire their bravery, and at least attempt to comprehend the enormity of the risks they took.

The wide array of stories told in this book, some well-remembered after the war and others forgotten for decades, are meticulously researched, from Delia Murphy Kiernan’s use of her diplomatic car to transport a Scottish soldier in distress with the assistance of a gentle giant of a priest known as ‘Spike’, to 19-year-old Fermanagh born airman Bill Magrath’s admission that he scoffed the Kit-Kat, Mars bar and orange from his ration at the start of his mission in the knowledge there was no guarantee he might enjoy it later.

The result is a book that is not only immensely readable but makes an important contribution to recovering the stories of ordinary Irish people who defied the Nazi occupation and risked it all to assist others.

The Irish in the Resistance by Clodagh Finn and John Morgan. Published by Gill Books, 2024, 368 pp.