In the 1960s, Swiss spymaster Colonel Albert Bachmann was certain of a coming nuclear war – with Switzerland situated right in the firing line of nuclear fallout.

He took it upon himself to find a safe haven for the Swiss government, a bolt hole in the safest part of Europe – West Cork in Ireland. Here, using government funds, he secretly bought and converted an old hotel in 1976, turning it into a refuge for the Swiss government in exile and its stockpile of gold.

Video by Daire Collins

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