Film, Ireland, and the Third Reich: Representing the Irish Struggle for Independence as Nazi Propaganda

By Ciara Chambers, and Tobias Hochscherf
Published in Film History: An International Journal, 2026.
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Abstract

The article explores how the Irish struggle for independence was used by the Third Reich as a narrative template for the feature films Der Fuchs von Glenarvon(The fox of Glenarvon, 1940) and Mein Leben für Irland(My life for Ireland, 1941). Intended for German and continental European audiences in the early years of war, the films show how Third Reich cinema mobilized British colonial abuses of power for their own propaganda purposes. Through analysis of a range of original archival sources, this article considers how Ireland was used as a topical example of British oppression by Goebbels’ propaganda ministry and also as an index for the reorganization of European art and culture under the Nazi regime.