This documentary addresses a controversial and frequently overlooked aspect of Irish history. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the country provided safe haven to a number of Nazi collaborators and war criminals. Protected by church and state, many made their homes in Ireland, or used it as a staging point for escape to America.

Veteran broadcaster Cathal O’Shannon conducts a unique and comprehensive exploration of these uncomfortable issues. O’Shannon has a personal interest in this story. During the Second World War, he was a member of the Royal Air Force. When he returned to Ireland following the defeat of the Axis powers, he became increasingly uneasy regarding the attitude of Irish political decision makers towards former Nazis.

In the second part of the documentary, O’Shannon investigates how the Cold War opened new channels for Nazis seeking sanctuary in Ireland. As the Iron Curtain descended upon Europe, Otto ‘Scarface’ Skorzeny was able to seek refuge in the country. Hitler’s favourite soldier, who had earned a reputation as ‘the most dangerous man in Europe’, was a James Bond-esque figure who famously rescued Mussolini from a mountaintop fortress.

Skorzeny was feted by the Dublin social glitterati, and even found himself hobnobbing with a future Taoiseach. He also looks at Helmut Clissmann, the man tasked by the Nazis to recruit the IRA for their war against Britain. Next, out presenter investigates the Flemish nationalists who became Nazi collaborators. Men like Albert Luykx, who fled justice in Belgium and later conspired with Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney to import arms for the IRA.

We use rare archive footage, revealing interviews and dramatic reconstructions to take viewers on an investigative journey spanning three continents. O’Shannon discovers the true identities of these men, asking why they were allowed to build lives in post-war Ireland. Steeped in political and religious intrigue, this groundbreaking documentary series reveals the truth about one of the most sensitive and unexplored areas of Ireland’s past.