A Suspicious ‘School For Spies’ in Dungarvan

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Journalist GER LEDDIN joins Sabrina Ryan to discuss the “School for Spies”, an international conference held every second year in Co Waterford for members of the global security organisations such as the FBI and CIA. The conference’s appearance in Dungarvan is the result of Dungarvan ‘twinning’ with a town in the USA.

Ger says there are 13 American students undertaking Intelligence studies in Waterford with the ultimate aim of going on to work for intelligence agencies around the world.

Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s major munitions manufacturers, is connected with the college, says Ger, who is keen to find out why this college is located in Waterford. Ger highlights the presence of companies such as Google and Facebook in Ireland and finds it interestingly coincidental that these companies are largely in the business of gathering intelligence data.

Ger and Sabrina debate whether such an enterprise is in keeping with Ireland’s long-held neutrality.

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