Ireland has a long-standing arrangement with the British RAF to monitor Irish skies for suspicious aircraft, former Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea has confirmed.
It is the first time a former minister has confirmed any details of the secret arrangement on the record. The Fianna Fáil TD’s comments follow reporting in The Irish Times of a secret deal dating back to 1952 which allows the RAF monitor Irish skies and, in certain circumstances deploy its aircraft over Irish territory.
“Not that we were under any sort of threat, but alien aircraft that shouldn’t have been up there ... the RAF usually informed the Irish Government about that because of an arrangement that’s been long standing for a long time,” said Mr O’Dea, who served as minister for defence between 2004 and 2010.
The former minister said that as a result of this information, on “one or two occasions” the Irish Government had to contact the Russian government through its embassy in Dublin to inquire about the operations of Russian aircraft.
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We don’t play these kind of games. Our approach to Ireland has never been defined in military terms
Asked if the Irish Government knew what was happening in the skies above Ireland, Mr O’Dea said: “I didn’t know quite frankly, because we didn’t have the technology to tell us. It didn’t seem particularly important at the time but it certainly is now.”
The operations of Russian military aircraft off Ireland’s west coast have caused alarm among defence officials in recent years, and have resulted in the British scrambling Typhoon fighter jets from Scotland to intercept them.
The Irish Government is currently in the early stages of acquiring a primary military radar system which will finally allow for Irish monitoring of such aircraft.
Mr O’Dea made the comments during a TG4 documentary on Irish neutrality due to air on Wednesday evening.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Michael Murphy, who was a senior intelligence officer in the Defence Forces, said the Government’s arrangement with the RAF is a “secret agreement which is getting less secret by the day.”
He questioned whether the deal is constitutional and how it squares with Ireland’s fight against the UK for its independence and sovereignty.
The documentary filmmaker also spoke to Russian Ambassador to Ireland Yuriy Filatov, who said Ireland’s support for Ukraine in resisting Russia’s invasion means it is “not neutral”.
He said the Irish Government is “is stepping more and more into the role of direct participation in the conflict” and that this will “certainly be a factor in our political decisions.”
The ambassador was referencing training provided by the Defence Forces to Ukrainian troops in demining tactics.
Mr Filatov said this is not a humanitarian mission “because it is being undertaken within the precise context of the combat zone and the combat actions by the Ukrainian Armed Forces”.
He added: “It could be used at facilitating the offensive operations by the UAF to clear the path for the assaulting troops. That is the primary use for this knowledge.”
Not that we were under any sort of threat, but alien aircraft that shouldn’t have been up there . . . the RAF usually informed the Irish Government about that
Russian mines and improvised explosives are among the main factors slowing down Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which it launched last month.
“Right now, Ireland is not neutral in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. That is the fact and we know that,” the ambassador said.
Mr Filatov denied Russia poses any threat to Ireland, and said there is nothing suspicious about the presence of Russia ships spotted in Irish waters recently near subsea cables.
“We don’t play these kind of games,” he said. “Our approach to Ireland has never been defined in military terms.”
The documentary, Iniúchadh TG4 – Éire Neodrach?, airs at 9.30pm on Wednesday on TG4.
