The Effects of Shortage during World War 2 on Irish Retailers When war first came to Europe in September 1939, Taoiseach Eamon de Valera reshuffled his cabinet. A new department, the Department of Supplies, was established under Sean Lemass. It was given the task on ensuring that Ireland would continue to have sufficient supplies of raw materials, food and fuel throughout the war. John A. Murphy states that "Keeping things going rather than making progress became the …showed first 75 words of 854 total…

…showed last 75 words of 854 total…of great difficulty but at the same time it pushed them to form a powerful representative body. RGDATA allowed independent retailers to pool their strength together for the benefit of the entire independent sector and the consumer. Robert Fisk: In Time of War, published 1983 J. A Murphy: Ireland in the Twentieth Century published 1975 RGDATA: Flying The Flag For Sixty Years, published 2002 www.checkout.ie: The Story of Ireland's Stores Bernard Share: Ireland 1939-1945 The Emergency