Irish Involvement In The Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War lasted from July 17, 1936 to April 1, 1939. Both sides in the Spanish Civil War attracted participants from Ireland.
Eoin O'Duffy formed a corp of 750 who supported General Francisco Franco's Nationalists, aided and abetted by Irish Roman Catholic clergy, who reacted to the extensive massacre of Catholic clergy by the Republicans (see Irish Brigade (Spanish Civil War)).
The International Brigade, which comprised individuals from Britain, the United States and France, were supported by 320 Irish men, a quarter of whom were killed in action. Some were involved with underground unions, some were opposed to O'Duffy's Blueshirts and Greenshirts in Ireland, while others believed that fascism threatened Ireland. Following the death of Michael O'Riordan in Dublin on May 18, 2006, Bob Doyle was the last Irishman alive to have fought for the International Brigade until his death on the 23rd January 2009. Paddy Cochrane, who served as a medic, died on 31 March 2011 aged 98, the last Irish non-combatant.
Frank Ryan was another leading Irish participant on the Republican side. Despite his deafness in late 1936 Frank Ryan travelled to Spain with about 80 men he had succeeded in recruiting to fight in the International Brigades on the Republican side. Ryan's men are sometimes referred to as the "Connolly Column".
He served in the Lincoln-Washington Brigade rising to Brigadier. He fought in a number of engagements until he was seriously wounded in March 1937, and returned to Ireland to recover. He took advantage of the opportunity of his return to launch another left-republican newspaper, entitled The Irish Democrat. On his return to Spain, he again served in the war until he was captured by Italian "volunteer" troops fighting for the Nationalists in March 1938. He was accused of murder, court-martialled, and sentenced to death before being incarcerated in Burgos Prison in 1938. His sentence was later commuted to thirty years hard labour in January 1940.
Read more about Irish Involvement In The Spanish Civil War: Ryan's 'Escape' From Burgos Prison 1940, Communist Organisation
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