Thanks guys.
James, please, help yourself to anything that you think is useful.
Bantry is listed as having been the target of a nuclear strike on pg 16 of the canon SGUK. Interestingly, Cork is not listed as a target, however the map does carry a disclaimer that data for Eire is incomplete (although it doesn’t state whether the use of Eire in this instance refers only to the Republic or to the whole island of Ireland ). Going by the map on page 12, Belfast and Derry / Londonderry appear to be rubble, but are not listed as nuclear strikes, which is, I think reasonably consistent with what I’ve written.
Shannon isn’t listed on the map at all, but that’s a good point about the airport, which I hadn’t thought about. I suppose whether it warranted a nuke or not might in part be determined by whether Ireland continued to allow its use on a regular basis by (presumably) US forces after the War started or whether they closed it to belligerents. Weighing everything up and looking at published nuclear targets in other countries , I’m inclined to think it may have dodged a nuke (although perhaps may have been a target for conventional air attack or Spetznaz action (which raises the possibility of a Spetznaz detachment roaming around Ireland!), particularly if it was being used as an airbridge to the US). Cork definitely seems like a likely target to me though, primarily because of the oil refinery (which, presumably is also why Bantry was hit). If I’ve got this right are you saying that a nuclear strike centred on the refinery in Cork could well have caused some damage to Haulbowline (but possibly not complete destruction) but not necessarily Cork City itself? Will probably tinker with the Naval Service a bit...I think I'll change it to only one vessel definitely sunk by the RN with another sunk by powers unknown (maybe a Russian sub).
As time permits I do plan on working on a timeline / regional guide specifically for Ireland to accompany the UK guide which will try and get into more detail. I see Sligo as being the operational HQ for Irish operations against the British in Fermanagh and Tyrone plus Derry, whilst the events going on in Monaghan and Dundalk can be viewed as the lead up to the battle of Drogheda mentioned in the canon work. I thought about basing some Irish troops in Bundoran, but figured that with Ballyshannon changing hands a few times the UDR would have probably levelled the place at some point in time...totally forgotten about Knock airport (iirc Loganair used to fly in there from Scotland at one point - am guessing it's Ryanair now). Will have another look at air power...I am going on the basis that most of the Irish Air Corps has been lost in action, and what's left is grounded due to a lack of fuel. I'll probably also have the French lurking in the background doing a bit of meddling. And the Soviets will still have an Embassy in Dublin. so a few things to look at...there will definitely be an expanded and updated draft of this at some point in time, but I have a lot of stuff on at the minute, so six months seems a realistic timeframe!
