Welcome to this week’s edition of Six Secrets. As the world reflects and connects on St. Patrick’s Day, SPYSCAPE raises a glass to Ireland and its intriguing history of codebreakers, spies, and saboteurs.
The Stay-Behinds
The CIA began training European ‘stay-behind networks’ in the 1950s - armed, underground civilian units to be used as spies and saboteurs if the Soviets invaded. The operation involved a Swiss plan to run its government-in-exile from Cork, Ireland, but the US under CIA spy William Colby had a bigger and bolder agenda.
You may know all about Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing but what about Ireland’s Richard Hayes? The librarian cracked the fiendishly difficult Nazi cipher by 'borrowing' a pair of trousers belonging to German spy Herman Görtz while the Abwehr officer was being X-rayed and returning them before Görtz knew they were missing. Hayes' sneaky plot changed WWII and history.
We believe there’s a superhero in each of us - so we’re launching our annual True Superheroes awards to celebrate people who’ve overcome adversity, made amazing contributions to society, and inspired others to do the same. We’ll nominate people in art, design, music, tech, science and many other fields. This week we share a few of our many nominees from Architecture.
The ‘J2’ is Ireland’s answer to the CIA, one of the most shadowy military intelligence units in Europe. They monitor suspected Russian spies operating out of Moscow’s embassy in Dublin and deploy with Irish forces on international duties. So what are they up to? Here’s SPYSCAPE’s debrief on J2’s history and ops.
From Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code to Assassin’s Creed video games, the Knights Templar holy warriors fire up our imaginations. Little is written about the Knighthood of the Temple in Ireland, however. SPYSCAPE reveals five of their medieval secrets and the scandal that led to their imprisonment in Dublin Castle.
Sean Hartnett grew up in Ireland in the 1970s during the 'Troubles', a violent decades-long conflict split mainly along religious lines. Sean considered joining the IRA but instead enlisted in the British Army’s most secretive counterterrorist unit. Sean wanted an adventure. He got more than he could handle.
St. Patrick isn’t the only well-known saint. Did you know St. Joshua is the patron saint of spies and intelligence officials? Or that St. Columbo is the guiding saint of detectives? SPYSCAPE rounds up nine of the most unusual patron saints so you’ll know where to turn.
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