Thursday, June 6, 2019 6:00 PM
Doors Open 6:30 PM
Reception 7:30 PM
Abramson Family Auditorium
1307 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20005
NYU Washington, DC and Solas Nua will co-host a screening of "Three Days in June" with a reception to follow the screening.
On the 75th anniversary of the epic D-Day landings, this documentary uncovers the incredible story of Ireland’s unknown but critical role in WWII and how – in the summer of 1944 - the timing of the D-Day landings came to hinge on readings taken by a 21-year-old girl in a tiny remote weather station on Europe’s most westerly headland.
For a few tense days in June 1944, the success of the greatest military invasion the world had ever seen depended on weather readings taken by Maureen Sweeney at the remote Blacksod weather station on Ireland’s west coast. “Three Days in June” includes a special interview with the now 96-year-old Maureen - providing a living link to a unique moment in history, when military might and meteorological analysis collided. Maureen’s data threw Eisenhower’s meticulously planned invasion strategy into chaos, forcing him to mediate between opposing US & UK weather advisors and Generals and ultimately leaving him alone to make one of the most difficult decisions in the entire war.
Completely unaware of the significance of her work– she was simply doing her job – Maureen’s readings were the first to point out an impending storm which led to the postponement of the invasion. Then in an impossibly dramatic twist her readings were first to pinpoint a short window of opportunity that Eisenhower needed to launch, thereby changing the path of the war.
Featuring contributions from Susan Eisenhower (granddaughter of the General), renowned historian Antony Beevor, D Day veteran Joe Cattini, a selection of military experts, meteorologists and archive footage this fascinating documentary paints an incredible picture of Ireland’s previously unknown role in one of the most pivotal events in world history.
