Confidential report from Leo T. McCauley to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin)
(43/31)

You¹ will be interested to know that Ireland appears to be in the fashion at present in Germany from the racial point of view. Much use has been made recently here of the term Aryan, both in official decrees etc. and in popular speech, to denote the distinction between ordinary Germans and those of Jewish origin. In order to avoid the appearance of legislating particularly against the Jews, the Government has drawn a distinction between Aryans and non-Aryans; and the disabilities imposed by its decrees are applicable to the non-Aryans. These terms have given rise to some criticism, persons not being wanting who pointed out that scholars were extremely doubtful of establishing the existence of an Aryan race at all. An article published by the Lokalanzeiger entitled 'Who are the Aryans' seeks to answer these criticisms. It begins by saying that doubts as to the authenticity of the name have arisen from the fact that it has been applied loosely to denote peoples speaking a certain group of languages all of a common origin. It then goes on to say:

'The word Aryan in Sanskrit and in the still living Indian and Iranian tongues means much more. It is the expression of a proud consciousness of race and means ?the members of the clan?, ?the persons worthy of honour?, the ?honourable ones?, the ?lords?. Formerly all Aryan peoples called themselves thus; for example, the word survives in modified form in the name ?Erin?, the Celtic name for Ireland, the green isle, which has preserved for us so much of the best in Aryan tradition'.