An interesting and insightful blog was posted on ‘Come Here to Me’ here this week, and we thought it worth sharing. ‘The Dublin cinema manager who became the only Irish prisoner of Dachau’ was written by JayCarax and tells the story of John McGrath of Roscommon who became the only Irishman to be imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp during the Second World War in Germany. Take a look at his remarkable story.
In the first part of the blog JayCarax writes about John McGrath’s early life – from school in Roscommon to living in London…
If you stand in the visitors centre in Dachau, you will see a large map of Europe on the wall. Over each country is a number, indicating how many of their citizens were imprisoned in the camp. The number ’1′ is marked over Ireland.
John McGrath (c1893 – Nov 27 1946), was born in Elphin, Roscommon and educated at the Christian Brothers’ Schools in Carrick-On-Shannon. Joining the British Army, he saw action in France in World War One.
Returning home safely he worked, as an administrative staff assistant, with the Gordon Hotel in London and then was involved with the organising of the Grand Prix Motor Race in the Phoenix Park and the Military Tattoo in Landsdowne Road in the late 1920s.
In 1935 McGrath managed the Theatre Royal on Hawkins Street. He was recalled up to the British Army, as major, at the outbreak of war in 1939.
In 1940 McGrath was one of the ‘small Allied band’ who fought in France after the evacuation. He was wounded twice in battle near Rouen, Normandy before finally being captured by the Nazis.
Brought to the Oflag (officers camp) in Luckenwalde, he was imprisoned there for just under twelve months.
McGrath was then transferred to the Friesack Camp, a special camp for Irishmen of the British Army. Here, the Irish were made various offers by the Nazis that in return for their freedom, they could become German agents and help sabotage the war effort in England, German and Scotland. “These men”, Col. McGrath said in a 1946 interview, “were continually being interviewed in secret, and all kinds of proposals, including very lucrative offers, were made to them. In not one single case did the Germans succeed…”
…Around this time, McGrath was caught attempting to pass information about the camp to the Irish legislation in Rome and sent to the infamous Sachsenhausen near Frankfurt.
McGrath was transferred again and this time found himself in the Dachau concentration camp in Germany for two years. This camp claimed the lives of over 30,000 prisoners and he was the only Irish inmate.
This video features a visitors view of the concentration camp in Dachau. Some of the footage may be too graphic for those viewing.
In 1945 the camp at Dachau was liberated and McGrath eventually arrived back in Dublin. A special reception, hosted for him by his employers. He soon returned to his job as manager of the cinema on Hawkins Street.
In November 1946 McGrath passed away, in his house, at 38 Merrion Square,
In the summer of 1945 with the U.S. 7th army sweeping through France and Germany, the SS marched the ‘principal captives’ of Dachau, which included McGrath, to Inssbruck and then to Tyrol in Austria.
McGrath and 130 other people were locked away in the bitter cold with little or no food. They were literally on the verge of death.
In an amazing turn of events, the U.S. army tracked the S.S. and the prisoners to Tyrol. Taking them completely by surprise, the U.S. took prisoner the 150 S.S. men who had guarded Dachau… The liberated prisoners were then ‘speedily’ driven to Verona and then by plane to Naples. He then was brought back to Ireland via London.
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