When World War II came to an end, the Nazi commando Otto Skorzeny was considered to be among the most dangerous men in Europe. While he had earned fame for a daring rescue of Benito Mussolini in 1943 he was also accused of war crimes. In this episode, based on files from the National Archives and Ireland’s Military Archives I look at the strange and unsettling story behind his later connections with Ireland and Irish politicians.

In 1957 Skorzeny was welcomed to Ireland at a reception that included none other than Charles J Haughey, the later Taoiseach. This two part podcast is a gripping investigation into why Skorzeny was here, who he was working with and why so many in Ireland were willing to welcome this notorious individual.