NLI Unveils Richard Hayes Room After Former Director and WWII Code-Breaker
Richard Hayes
Dr. Richard Hayes (1902-1976) lived many remarkable lives – he was an academic, the Director of the National Library of Ireland from 1940-1967, a loving father, and one of World War II’s most successful Nazi codebreakers.
Appointed as Director of the National Library of Ireland in 1940, Hayes managed his official duties while secretly leading a team of cryptanalysts. They successfully cracked the infamous ‘Görtz Cipher,’ a Nazi code so challenging that even the experts at Bletchley Park, Britain’s wartime cryptography centre, were initially unable to solve it.
Hayes’ extraordinary work played a crucial role in securing an Allied victory. He was described by MI5 as ‘Ireland’s greatest unsung hero’ and the U.S. Office of Strategic Services as ‘a colossus of a man.’ Hayes died in 1976, leaving behind a collection of papers and manuscripts, which are now catalogued in the National Library of Ireland.
Below are some of the fascinating items relating to Hayes in our collections:
The original cipher was burned by Görtz in his cell, but Dr. Richard Hayes reconstituted it at the Garda Technical Bureau in Kilmainham. Using a two-percent ferrocyanide solution and a few drops of hydrochloric acid, Hayes was able to reveal the hidden code.
This item is fascinating as it displays the original codes that Hayes worked on during this critical moment in history.
Richard Hayes' daughter's copybook, used for notes on codes he was deciphering.
Hermann Görtz, the German spy whose messages Hayes cracked.
When Görtz was captured, he attempted to destroy the evidence of the cipher. These letters were collected and examined in the Garda Technical Bureau.
Speaking at the opening of the room, Director of the National Library, Dr. Audrey Whitty, said:
"The objects and books relating to Richard Hayes that we will keep safe for generations to come, from the charred remains of secret letters to the scholarly manuscripts he authored, tell the story of a man who was both a protector of our past and a shaper of our future.
They remind us of the depth of his commitment to knowledge, to Ireland, and indeed to his family, some of whom are here today including his daughter Faery."
Dr Audrey Whitty, NLI Director, and Faery Hayes, daughter of Richard Hayes
The event was attended by the friends and family of Richard Hayes
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