St Luke, Mother Mary (published under the pseudonym Jane Scrivener) Inside Rome with the Germans, New York, The Macmillan Company, 1945.
Sermoneta, The Duchess of, Sparkle Distant Worlds, London, Hutchinson and Co., 1947.
Shirer, William, L., The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, London, Arrow Books, 1960.
Simpson, Bill, A Vatican Lifeline ’44, London, Leo Cooper, 1995.
Tittmann, Harold, Inside the Vatican of Pius XII, New York, Doubleday, 2004.
Tompkins, Peter, A Spy in Rome, London, Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1962.
Trevelyan, Raleigh, Rome ‘ 44, London, Pimlico, 1981.
Tudor, Malcolm, Escape from Italy, 1943–45, Powys, Emilia Publishing, 2003.
Archives
The Department of Foreign Affairs Papers in the National Archives, Dublin.
The Papers of the late Michael MacWhite in the Archives Section of the James Joyce Library, University College Dublin.
The Activities of the British Organisation in Rome for assisting Allied escaped prisoners of war in the Public Records Office, Kew, London.
Audio, TV
Lewis, Frank, An Interview with Sam Derry, Fr Leonard Boyle, Fr Sean Quinlan and others, Saturday Supplement Programme, 11 June 1994 for Radio Kerry.
O’Keeffe, Maurice, An interview with Noreen Dennehy, CD No. 65 in his Irish Life and Lore (Kerry Collection) Series, (www.irishlifeandlore.com).
O’Shannon, Cathal, Ireland’s Nazis, Tile Films Productions.
This is Your Life, an audio recording of the programme on Sam Derry, London, BBC, 1963.
Acknowledgments
A wide range of people were of assistance to me in writing this book. Some helped by way of provision of information, or a suggestion as to where that information might be found, others by words of encouragement. My sincere thanks are due to: Kathleen Wilde, Fergus Fleming, Cardinal Seán Brady, Eamonn and Ann Fleming, Monsignor John Hanly, John Heuston, Gerry Jeffers, Catherine and Tony Kennedy, Vincent and Margaret Lennon, Frank Lewis, John McHugh, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Eimear Millsopp, Michael Moynihan TD, Maurice O’Keeffe, Tony O’Keeffe, Barbara O’Toole, Aideen Overton, Fionnuala Watters, Sinéad Allart in Cherbourg, Eman Bonnici in Malta, Bishop Brian Farrell and Monsignor Charles Burns in Rome, John Mallon in London and Billy Vincent in Monaco.
During the course of my research I received great assistance from: the staff of the Berkeley Library in Trinity College Dublin, Siobhán McCrystal and Mary Roche in Palmerstown Library, Noreen Sullivan and Barthy Flynn in Cahersiveen Library, the staff of the National Archives, Dublin, and their counterparts in the National Archives of the United Kingdom, London, Maureen Sweeney of the Archives Section, Department of Foreign Affairs, Séamus Helferty and his colleagues in the Archives section, James Joyce Library at University College Dublin, Bozenna Rotman of Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, and staff of the British, Canadian and Israeli Embassies in Dublin and the British Embassy to the Holy See in Rome.
I would like to express my particular gratitude to those who gave permission for me to use extracts from books and archival material: to Mrs Kathleen MacWhite in relation to her late father-in-law’s wonderful archive, to Dr Brendan Kennelly for his poem, to Will Derry in Nottinghamshire in relation to his late father’s book and to William Simpson and Pen and Sword Books in respect of A Vatican Lifeline ’44. I would like to thank the following who have kindly given permission to reproduce photographs in this book: Will Derry, William Simpson and Pen and Sword Books, and the Provincial of the Capuchin Order. Jim Butler and his colleagues in Repro 35, Dublin, were very skilful in reproducing these photographs. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, although the passage of time since most sources were published meant I was not always successful. Any omissions are entirely unintentional and regretted. The publisher will be happy to hear from copyright holders not acknowledged and undertakes to rectify any errors or omissions in future editions.
Part of the joy of writing this book has been the opportunity it gave me to meet some of the Monsignor’s family and friends. I had hugely enjoyable and interesting conversations with Dr Veronica Dunne in Dublin and Danny O’Connor in Cahersiveen. Throughout the whole process the Monsignor’s nephew, Hugh O’Flaherty, has been extremely helpful, particularly in relation to making available family archival material. No request for information or clarification was too much trouble and his response was invariably both speedy and enlightening. Time was never an issue and indeed he and I spent a most enjoyable day in the company of the local Dáil Deputy, Michael Moynihan, and Tony O’Keeffe tracing the Monsignor’s maternal roots in North Cork. My regular intrusions into his household were invariably met with the greatest of hospitality both by himself and his wife Kay. In addition, I am grateful to his sister, Mrs Pearl Dineen, for making available to me the family photograph of the Monsignor with his parents and siblings. When I first met Hugh and Kay O’Flaherty in February in 2007 I became aware that their daughter Catherine was commencing work on a documentary outlining the Monsignor’s wartime activities. She and I have co-operated fully since then, sharing information as it became available and I hope that between us we have ensured that the wonderful role the Monsignor played during the Second World War becomes known to a wider audience.
It has been my privilege for over twenty years now to have worked as a member of a highly competent and dedicated team of people. Even in such stellar company one comes across truly outstanding people from time to time. Happily for me, the two with whom I work most closely on a daily basis, Pauline Duffy and Róisín Harpur, most definitely fall into that category. They have given generously of their professional expertise in helping me with this project. For this and for so much else, I am eternally in their debt.
Finally, I wish to express my sincere thanks to Mary, Ciara and particularly Aoife for their practical assistance and support, which made it possible for me to realise my ambition to tell Hugh O’Flaherty’s story.
Brian Fleming
Dublin
January 2008
Map of the Vatican
For Aedín, Conor, Ronan, Kevin, Aoife, Ciara and the wonderful Mary who brought them all into my life.
BRIAN FLEMING, a former member of the Oireachtas, has been a teacher for many years and is currently Principal of Collinstown Community College in Dublin.
FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2008 BY
The Collins Press
West Link Park
Doughcloyne
Wilton
Cork
© Brian Fleming 2008
Brian Fleming has asserted his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission of the publishers, or else under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by The Irish Writer’s Centre.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Fleming, Brian.
The Vatican pimpernel : the wartime exploits of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty.
1. O’Flaherty, Hugh, 1898-1963. 2. Catholic Church - Clergy -
Biography. 3. Priests - Ireland - Biography. 4. Diplomats - Vatican City - Biography. 5. Escapes - Italy - History - -20th century. 6. World War, 1939-1945 - Underground movements- Italy.
I. Title
940.5′486′092-dc22
ISBN-13: 9781848890114
PDF eBook ISBN: 978184880541
EPUB eBook ISBN: 9781848890558
Typeset by The Collins Press
Typeset in Berkeley Book 11pt
Cover photographs
Front (l) Monsignor O’Flaherty in the 1950s; (r): the dome of St Peter’s Basilica, Rome.
om.Net
The Vatican Pimpernel Page 23