As New York City gears up for its annual parade and the Chicago River runs green, we’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with stories of Irish codebreakers, spies, and an intriguing Irish operative with links to the Boston Tea Party - all great craic.
Ireland’s Russian Embassy hums with secrets, reminiscent of Cold War tensions when a KGB spy ring surveilled US submarines off Ireland's coast; today, Moscow's presence on the island is still felt in Dublin and D.C. From Russian bombers breaching Irish airspace to diplomatic expulsions, the island’s top intelligence officers navigate a sophisticated world of covert espionage.
When Irish codebreaker Emily Anderson accepted the German Order of Merit for her acclaimed Selected Letters of Beethoven, she must have smiled at the irony. During WWII, Anderson was a British spy, a top-ranked Bletchley Park codebreaker who helped the Allies defeat Germany. Now ‘Miss Anderson from the Foreign Office’ was being feted by her former foes, still living a life of mystery and melody.
Ireland's cinematic renaissance is marked by a surge in high-quality films including Small Things Like These (2024) starring Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy and Irish-produced Poor Things (2023) with Emma Stone. From exploring nuanced themes of identity to gaining international acclaim, we’ve selected 17 movies with Irish ties to celebrate March 17.
Ireland’s J2 military intelligence is one of the most secretive units in Europe. It’s been monitoring suspected Russian spies at Moscow’s embassy in Dublin since the compound opened in 1973 and its officers deploy alongside Irish forces on international duties, but what else does J2 do? Here’s our debrief on J2’s history and operations.
Tana French may have been born in Vermont but she was raised on the Emerald Isle, so it seemed natural to use Dublin’s gritty charm as the backdrop for her sensational crime thrillers. Ireland's literary heritage whispers through the cobblestone streets from espionage writer Erskine Childers to Kevin Brophy’s thrillers and Andrew Hughes’ unsettling portraits of betrayal. Isn’t it time you dived into Ireland's literary legacy?
You may be familiar with the Sons of Liberty, the Patriot paramilitary group influential in carrying out the 1773 Boston Tea Party, but what about Irish-born Hercules Mulligan? One of the east coast’s most notable operatives was a tailor, activist, and founder of a New York society that helped abolish slavery. Curiously, he was also one of America's most important spies.
At SPY HQ you’ll explore hidden worlds, break codes and run surveillance - while a system developed with MI6 experts reveals your personal spy profile. At SPYGAMES you and your team will try immersive challenges developed by CIA and Special Ops experts to stretch your physical and mental agility
