The Donegal Corridor () was a narrow strip of Irish
airspace
Airspace is the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. It is not the same as outer space which is t ...
linking
RAF Castle Archdale on
Lough Erne
Lough Erne ( , ) is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River E ...
to the international waters of the Atlantic Ocean through which the
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland () is the executive authority of Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet – is composed of ministers, each of whom must be a member of the , which consists of ...
permitted flights by British military aircraft during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. This was a contravention of
Irish neutrality and was not publicised at the time.
Background
When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, Ireland remained neutral, in accordance with its pre-declared neutrality policy.
The
Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...
commenced soon after war was declared. German U-boats attacked Allied shipping convoys in the Atlantic Ocean, where hundreds of ships were sunk and thousands of lives lost, resulting in a very serious situation for the Allied forces. In December 1940, a survey was carried out on
Lough Erne
Lough Erne ( , ) is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River E ...
with a view to having flying boat bases built there. This was the most westerly point in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
from where planes could patrol the Atlantic and offer some protection to the shipping convoys against the dreaded U-boats. Early in 1941, the first
flying boat
A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy.
Though ...
s were based on Lough Erne. They were not permitted to fly over the territory of Ireland. This meant that they had first to fly northwards, then change their flight path and go west.
Some limited protection could be given to the convoys coming to the UK from the US and Canada, the same protection could be given by American-based aircraft. Still, there was a gap where the U-boats could create havoc unhindered. This mid-Atlantic area was known as
the Black Gap. Ireland came under extreme pressure from the British and even the US, who at this time were themselves neutral, to dispense with its neutrality policy and join with the Allies. A meeting took place in January 1941 between
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...
and
John Maffey, the British representative in Dublin. An agreement was reached whereby the Lough Erne-based flying boats were permitted to fly across a stretch of neutral territory from
Belleek in
County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland.
The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...
to
Ballyshannon
Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 road (Ireland), N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 road (Ireland), N15 crosses the River Erne. The town was inc ...
in
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
and thereby gain access to the Atlantic Ocean. This agreement was concluded in
The Cranborne Report. To pacify the Germans, these aircraft were supposed to follow a defined route and then only on air/sea rescue missions.
This flight path became known as 'The Donegal Corridor'. The original agreement and rules were soon changed and the flying boats went on missions to the mid-Atlantic, to the west coast of France and to Iceland to protect convoys on those routes. This was a turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic which was the longest battle of the Second World War. Some nine U-boats were confirmed as having been sunk by the Lough Erne
Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat Maritime patrol aircraft, patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of ...
and Catalina flying boats and many others so badly damaged that they had to return to base in France.
Location
Between
Lough Melvin
Lough Melvin ( ; ) is a lake in the northwest of the island of Ireland on the border between County Leitrim (in Republic of Ireland, Ireland) and County Fermanagh (in the United Kingdom). It is internationally renowned for its unique range of p ...
in
County Leitrim
County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...
and the
River Erne
The River Erne ( , or ''An Éirne'') in the northwest of the island of Ireland, is the second-longest river in Ulster, flowing through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and forming part of their border.
Course
The Erne rises on ...
in County Donegal, County Donegal narrows and separates the Northern Irish County Fermanagh from
Donegal Bay
Donegal Bay () is an inlet (or bay) in the northwest of Ireland. Three Counties of Ireland, counties – County Donegal, Donegal to the north and west, County Leitrim, Leitrim and County Sligo, Sligo to the south – have shorelines on ...
and the Atlantic. The long Corridor was between Belleek and the coast beyond Ballyshannon, along the course of the River Erne.
The base was at
RAF Castle Archdale.
Use
The first official flight along the Corridor was on 21 February 1941 by
No. 240 Squadron RAF's
Supermarine Stranraer flying boats.
Conditions of the concession included that flights should be made at a "good height" and that aircraft should not fly over the military camp at
Finner; these conditions appear to have been ignored by both sides.
A notable episode was when a
Consolidated Catalina
The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (U.S. Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In U.S. Army service, it was designated as the OA ...
flying boat from
No. 209 Squadron RAF
Number 209 Squadron of the British Royal Air Force was originally formed from a nucleus of "Naval Eight" on 1 February 1917 at Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, France, as No. 9 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS)Rawlings 1978, p. 324. and saw active servi ...
based at Lough Erne observed and pinpointed the battleship in 1941, a stroke of tactical intelligence that helped lead to the warship's destruction.
By the end of the war, 320 men had died in 41 missions by flying boats based at Lough Erne. In 2007, memorial plaques were unveiled in Counties Donegal and Fermanagh.
See also
*
The Emergency
*
Treaty Ports (Ireland)
Following the establishment of the Irish Free State, three deep water Treaty Ports () at Castletownbere, Berehaven, Spike Island, County Cork, Spike Island (off modern Cóbh), and Lough Swilly were retained by the United Kingdom in accordance ...
References
{{Reflist
Aviation history of Ireland
Aviation history of the United Kingdom
Aviation in Northern Ireland
Battles and operations of World War II involving independent Ireland
Battles and operations of World War II involving Northern Ireland
Geopolitical corridors
History of County Donegal
Military history of County Fermanagh
Northern Ireland in World War II
Politics of World War II
Politics of the Republic of Ireland
Independent Ireland in World War II
Ireland–United Kingdom relations
Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border
Transport in County Donegal