They were neutral during WWII. I suspect because they hated the British.
I’m watching Victoria on sunday nights on PBS. They are at the famine. They depiict England flush with food letting the Irish starve. Not an expert, but the wrist came off pretty bad in this series.
“they hated the English”.
And no wonder, did you know Ireland’s population was decimated by the hundred of thousands and there were more Irish slaves, sold into slavery all over the world, than there ever were black slaves.