Irish Socialist Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War
Encyclopedia
Irish Socialist volunteers in the Spanish Civil War describes a grouping of IRA members and Irish Socialists who fought in support the cause of the Second Republic
during the Spanish Civil War
. These volunteers were taken from both Irish Republican and Unionist political backgrounds but were bonded through a Socialist political philosophy. Many of the Irish volunteers that went to Spain later became known as the Connolly Column
.
, Dublin three leading IRA volunteers resigned their duties within the IRA; Frank Ryan
, Staff Captain Peadar O'Donnell
, and George Gilmore
.
Then followed a meeting of the Republican Congress
, a body composed of the disaffected members of the IRA who wanted Irish Republicanism
to focus on achievement of its goals via the political ideals of Socialism
. Held in Athlone on April 7 and 8 the focus of the initial meeting was to decide on the direction of the new body and it was decided that an annual Congress should be inaugurated beginning in September 1934.
Following this an IRA court martial took place with former Major-General Seán Russell
and the Commanding Officers (OC.) of North Tipperary
, Clonmel
, and the Fourth Dublin Battalion presiding. Former Commandant General Michael Price and O'Donnell were found guilty in absentia on a charge of insubordination and dismissed from the organisation. Bobby Edwards, Ryan, and Gilmore were also court martialed. IRA members who had expressed support for the Congress were effectively "stood down" from active service in the IRA although they would have retained links to the organisation due to its make up and operational nature.
town hall on September 29 — 30 1934. From the outset schisms within the newly formed group were apparent. Nick Price, Roddy Connolly
and his sister Nora Connolly
called for a drive towards a Workers Republic and the formation of a Workers Republican Party. O'Donnell, Ryan, Gilmore, and Edwards put forward a resolution supporting a United Front of the working class and small farmers. The latter resolution was eventually carried by 99 votes to 84.
The Congress gradually fell apart due to infighting during the month of February 1936 and its significance as a political group passed. It did however provide the framework through which recruitment of IRA volunteers to fight in Spain would take place.
organising an Irish Brigade
to fight with the Fascists, and in open letters to the papers criticised Cardinal MacRory for raising funds at church collections to support Franco. The Congress started publicising the Spanish Republican cause in public meetings. Frank Ryan organized the first transports of Irish volunteers. The first men left Dublin, Belfast, and Rosslare ports in early December 1936 traveling through France and Britain to Spain.
and by the time the action was complete it had caused the death of nine in the Irish contingent.
Training for the Socialist volunteers took place at Madrigureaus, Albecete alongside troops from the British Battalion. The two groups were not amalgamated, and the Irish contingent was shortly moved to a base in the town of Villanueva de la Jara
in January 1937 and part of the Irish voted to move over to the American Abraham Lincoln Battalion.
The next engagement the Irish were involved in was the Battle of Jarama
following Franco's advance into the Jarama Valley in February 1937. Other campaigns the volunteers were involved included the 1938 Advance on Gandesa and the decisive Battle of Ebro where they fought as part of the XV Brigade.
, and then the demobilization center in Ripoll
.
Commemorations of the part Irish Republicans and Socialists played in the conflict are still held and a plaque honoring IRA volunteers from the Short Strand in Belfast is the site of annual ceremonies. The Connolly bookshop in Dublin keeps various items of memorabilia from the troops who fought.
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. These volunteers were taken from both Irish Republican and Unionist political backgrounds but were bonded through a Socialist political philosophy. Many of the Irish volunteers that went to Spain later became known as the Connolly Column
Connolly Column
The Connolly Column was the name given to the Irish volunteers who fought for the Second Spanish Republic in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. They were named after James Connolly, the executed leader of the Irish Citizen Army...
.
Background
Following the rejection of the socialist motion put to the IRA Army convention on 17 March 1934 at St. Stephen's GreenSt. Stephen's Green
St Stephen's Green is a city centre public park in Dublin, Ireland. The park is adjacent to one of Dublin's main shopping streets, Grafton Street, and to a shopping centre named for it, while on its surrounding streets are the offices of a number of public bodies and the city terminus of one of...
, Dublin three leading IRA volunteers resigned their duties within the IRA; Frank Ryan
Frank Ryan (Irish republican)
Frank Ryan was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army, editor of An Phoblacht, leftist activist and leader of Irish volunteers on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War....
, Staff Captain Peadar O'Donnell
Peadar O'Donnell
Peadar O'Donnell was an Irish republican and socialist activist and writer.-Early life:Peadar O'Donnell was born into an Irish speaking family in Dungloe, County Donegal in northwest Ireland, in 1893. He attended St. Patrick's College, Dublin, where he trained as a teacher...
, and George Gilmore
George Gilmore
George Gilmore was a Protestant Irish Republican Army leader during the 1920s and 1930s. During his period of influence the Republican movement moved significantly to the left...
.
Then followed a meeting of the Republican Congress
Republican Congress
The Republican Congress was an Irish republican political organisation founded in 1934, when left-wing republicans left the Irish Republican Army. The Congress was led by such IRA veterans as Peadar O'Donnell, Frank Ryan and George Gilmore. It was a socialist organisation and was dedicated to a...
, a body composed of the disaffected members of the IRA who wanted Irish Republicanism
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
to focus on achievement of its goals via the political ideals of Socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. Held in Athlone on April 7 and 8 the focus of the initial meeting was to decide on the direction of the new body and it was decided that an annual Congress should be inaugurated beginning in September 1934.
Following this an IRA court martial took place with former Major-General Seán Russell
Seán Russell
Seán Russell was an Irish republican who held senior positions in the IRA until the end of the Irish War of Independence...
and the Commanding Officers (OC.) of North Tipperary
Tipperary
Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....
, Clonmel
Clonmel
Clonmel is the county town of South Tipperary in Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. While the borough had a population of 15,482 in 2006, another 17,008 people were in the rural hinterland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked both...
, and the Fourth Dublin Battalion presiding. Former Commandant General Michael Price and O'Donnell were found guilty in absentia on a charge of insubordination and dismissed from the organisation. Bobby Edwards, Ryan, and Gilmore were also court martialed. IRA members who had expressed support for the Congress were effectively "stood down" from active service in the IRA although they would have retained links to the organisation due to its make up and operational nature.
Republican Congress
Planning for Republican Congress continued, however, with a meeting being held in RathminesRathmines
Rathmines is a suburb on the southside of Dublin, about 3 kilometres south of the city centre. It effectively begins at the south side of the Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranelagh to the east and Harold's Cross to the west.Rathmines has...
town hall on September 29 — 30 1934. From the outset schisms within the newly formed group were apparent. Nick Price, Roddy Connolly
Roddy Connolly
Roderick James Connolly was a socialist politician in Ireland.The son of Irish socialist James Connolly and Lillie Connolly, he was involved in the Easter Rising in 1916, where he served in the GPO under his father. He joined the Socialist Party of Ireland in 1917...
and his sister Nora Connolly
Nora Connolly O'Brien
Nora Connolly O'Brien was an activist and writer; she was also a member of the Irish Senate.The second daughter of James Connolly and Lillie Connolly, she was born in Scotland. In 1904, the family moved to the United States and moved to Belfast in 1907...
called for a drive towards a Workers Republic and the formation of a Workers Republican Party. O'Donnell, Ryan, Gilmore, and Edwards put forward a resolution supporting a United Front of the working class and small farmers. The latter resolution was eventually carried by 99 votes to 84.
The Congress gradually fell apart due to infighting during the month of February 1936 and its significance as a political group passed. It did however provide the framework through which recruitment of IRA volunteers to fight in Spain would take place.
Spain
With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Peadar O'Donnell and then George Gilmore went to Spain on behalf of the Congress to report on proceedings, and returned enthusiastic supporters of the Spanish Republicans. Ryan was incensed at quasi-Fascist Eoin O'DuffyEoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy was in succession a Teachta Dála , the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army , the second Commissioner of the Garda Síochána, leader of the Army Comrades Association and then the first leader of Fine Gael , before leading the Irish Brigade to fight for Francisco Franco during...
organising an Irish Brigade
Irish Brigade (Spanish Civil War)
The Irish Brigade , fought on the Nationalist side of Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. The unit was formed wholly of Roman Catholics by the politician Eoin O'Duffy, who had previously organised the banned quasi-fascist Blueshirts and openly fascist Greenshirts in Ireland...
to fight with the Fascists, and in open letters to the papers criticised Cardinal MacRory for raising funds at church collections to support Franco. The Congress started publicising the Spanish Republican cause in public meetings. Frank Ryan organized the first transports of Irish volunteers. The first men left Dublin, Belfast, and Rosslare ports in early December 1936 traveling through France and Britain to Spain.
Campaigning
The first Socialist volunteers saw action on the Cordoba front in December 1936. Approximately 135 men fought beside the French IXth Battalion and No.1 Company of the British Battalion. The objective was the town of LoperaLopera
Lopera is a city located in the province of Jaén, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the city has a population of 3,976 inhabitants....
and by the time the action was complete it had caused the death of nine in the Irish contingent.
Training for the Socialist volunteers took place at Madrigureaus, Albecete alongside troops from the British Battalion. The two groups were not amalgamated, and the Irish contingent was shortly moved to a base in the town of Villanueva de la Jara
Villanueva de la Jara
Villanueva de la Jara is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 2,132.-Situation:It is located in la Manchuela Conquense, in the south of the Cuenca.-History:...
in January 1937 and part of the Irish voted to move over to the American Abraham Lincoln Battalion.
The next engagement the Irish were involved in was the Battle of Jarama
Battle of Jarama
The Battle of Jarama was an attempt by General Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War...
following Franco's advance into the Jarama Valley in February 1937. Other campaigns the volunteers were involved included the 1938 Advance on Gandesa and the decisive Battle of Ebro where they fought as part of the XV Brigade.
Demobilization
On demobilization of Republican forces the Irish contingent marched to Marsa, later Els GuiametsEls Guiamets
Els Guiamets is a municipality in the comarca of the Priorat in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the south of the comarca. A local road links the village to the N-420 road between Falset and Móra la Nova...
, and then the demobilization center in Ripoll
Ripoll
Ripoll is the capital of the comarca of Ripollès, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is located on confluence of the Ter River and its tributary Freser, next to the Pyrenees near the French border...
.
Motivations
Other factors outside of anti-fascist political conviction and the charismatic urging of Ryan and O'Donnell cited by volunteers for fighting in Spain include:- a series of riots in Belfast in 1932 and 1935. The 1932 riots, labeled the "Outdoor Relief Riots" were seen by many working class Protestants as a reason to turn to the politics of Socialism. William Tumilson, a working class Protestant, volunteered to join the IRA in the Short StrandShort StrandThe Short Strand is a mainly-nationalist area in east Belfast, surrounded by a mainly-unionist area. It is within the townland of Ballymacarret and sits on the east bank of the River Lagan in County Down.-Security issues:...
district and subsequently became involved in the politics of Republican Congress following the riots. - Harry MidgleyHarry MidgleyHenry Cassidy Midgley, PC , known as Harry Midgley was a prominent politician in Northern Ireland. Born to a unionist family in Belfast, he worked in the textile industry before joining the Royal Engineers during World War I....
, leader of the Northern Ireland Labour PartyNorthern Ireland Labour PartyThe Northern Ireland Labour Party was an Irish political party which operated from 1924 until 1987.In 1913 the British Labour Party resolved to give the recently formed Irish Labour Party exclusive organising rights in Ireland...
, supported the Spanish Republic, but this alienated most of his Catholic supporters. - sections of the Catholic Church's support of GeneralísimoGeneralissimoGeneralissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...
Francisco FrancoFrancisco FrancoFrancisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
also turned many to support the legitimate government. - media reporting of the bombing of Guernica in April 1937 and a perceived bias in pro-Francoist media reporting in the Irish and British media. Along with radio reports given by Frank Ryan on "Radio Madrid".
- it was easier to form a "common front" against fascism abroad rather than against imperialism and unionism at home
- events organized across Ireland, including the Ulster HallUlster HallThe Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade B1 listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated on Bedford Street in Belfast city centre, the hall hosts concerts, classical recitals, craft fairs and political party conferences...
in Belfast, in which BasqueBasque Country (autonomous community)The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
representatives encouraged participation - a continuation of the struggle that the Irish had been engaged in; Tumlinson was to write home shortly before his death on 14 March 1937:
"Still determined to stay here until fascism is completely crushed. Impossible to do other than continue on with the slogan of Cathal BrughaCathal BrughaCathal Brugha was an Irish revolutionary and politician, active in the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence, and the Irish Civil War and was the first Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann.-Background:...
: "No Surrender"
Legacy
The heavy toll paid by the Republican side in terms of manpower and eventual defeat lead to the imprisonment of those who did not escape from Spain following the victory of the Francoists. While many Socialist and Republicans were able to escape on time, they returned to an Ireland which had undergone significant change in terms of restrictions placed on those sympathetic to the aims of the IRA.Commemorations of the part Irish Republicans and Socialists played in the conflict are still held and a plaque honoring IRA volunteers from the Short Strand in Belfast is the site of annual ceremonies. The Connolly bookshop in Dublin keeps various items of memorabilia from the troops who fought.
Ulster
- Arthur Archibald - BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
- Bill Beattie - Shankill Road
- Danny Boyle - Belfast
- Joe Boyd - Belfast
- George Gorman - DerryDerryDerry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
- Jim Lamour - Belfast
- James Haughey - Lurgan
- Hugh Hunter - Belfast
- Billy Henry - Shankill Road
- Bill Lord - Belfast
- Paddy McAllister - Belfast (fought with Canadian Mackenzie-Papineau BattalionMackenzie-Papineau BattalionThe Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion or Mac-Paps were a battalion of Canadians who fought as part of the XV International Brigade on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War. Except for France, no other country gave a greater proportion of its population as volunteers in Spain than Canada. The...
) - Paddy "Roe" MacLaughlin - Donegal
- Fred MacMahon - Belfast - Paramedic
- Eamon McGrotty - Derry
- Ben Murray - Ballymacarrett - KIA Battle of Aragon 1938
- Willie O'Hanlon - Belfast
- Dick O'Neill - Falls Road
- James Straney - Short Strand - KIA Advance on Gandesa, Hill 481, 1938
- William "Liam" Tumilson - Belfast - KIA Battle of JaramaBattle of JaramaThe Battle of Jarama was an attempt by General Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War...
Hill, February 1937
Other regions of Ireland
- Robert Boyle - Dublin
- Paul Burns
- Kit Conway, BurncourtBurncourtBurncourt is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland with an approximate population of 138 people.-Location:It lies in the Galtee-Vee Valley with the Galtee Mountains to the north and the Knockmealdowns to the south. It is located 1.7 kilometres from the former main Dublin to Cork road now...
, Co. Tipperary - mortally wounded Battle of JaramaBattle of JaramaThe Battle of Jarama was an attempt by General Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War...
12 Feb. 1937 - Charlie Donnelly - fought with the Abraham Lincoln Battalion
- Rev. Robert M. HilliardRobert HilliardRobert Martin Hilliard was an Olympic boxer, Irish republican, Church of Ireland minister and communist. He was killed in the Spanish Civil War fighting in the International Brigades....
- Frank EdwardsFrank Edwards (Irish Communist)Frank Edwards was a teacher and prominent Irish communist.Edwards's parents were Belfast Catholics who relocated to Waterford. His father served, and died, in the British Army during the First World War. His elder brother, Jack Edwards, was the Waterford organiser of the one-day general strike...
- Waterford - Jackie Hunt - Waterford
- Maurice LevitasMaurice LevitasMaurice "Morry" Levitas was an Irish academic and communist.- Biography :Levitas was born at Warren Street, in the Portobello area of Dublin...
- Dublin/London - Alan MacLarnon - Dublin
- Peter O'Connor
- Eddie O'Flaherty
- Michael O'RiordanMichael O'RiordanMichael O'Riordan was the founder of the Communist Party of Ireland and also fought with the Connolly Column in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.-Early life:...
- Cork - Thomas PattenThomas Patten (socialist)Thomas Patten was an Irish volunteer in the Spanish Civil War. He was born in Dooega, Achill Island, in the County Mayo gaeltacht, one of a family of fourteen children. Irish was his first language. Patten emigrated to England as a teenager, working in Blackpool and London...
, County MayoCounty MayoCounty Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, killed in the Battle of Madrid, December 1936
See also
- Foreign involvement in the Spanish Civil WarForeign involvement in the Spanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil War had large numbers of non-Spanish citizens participating in combat and advisory positions. Foreign governments contributed varying amounts of financial assistance and military aid to Nationalist forces led by Generalísimo Francisco Franco and those fighting on behalf of the...
- Connolly ColumnConnolly ColumnThe Connolly Column was the name given to the Irish volunteers who fought for the Second Spanish Republic in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. They were named after James Connolly, the executed leader of the Irish Citizen Army...
- Abraham Lincoln BrigadeAbraham Lincoln BrigadeThe Abraham Lincoln Brigade refers to volunteers from the United States who served in the Spanish Civil War in the International Brigades. They fought for Spanish Republican forces against Franco and the Spanish Nationalists....
- encompassing Ryan's command in the George Washington Battalion - Ireland and the Spanish Civil WarIreland and the Spanish Civil WarThe 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...
- Irish Brigade (Spanish Civil War)Irish Brigade (Spanish Civil War)The Irish Brigade , fought on the Nationalist side of Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. The unit was formed wholly of Roman Catholics by the politician Eoin O'Duffy, who had previously organised the banned quasi-fascist Blueshirts and openly fascist Greenshirts in Ireland...
- Irish volunteers who fought for Franco under the leadership of Eoin O'DuffyEoin O'DuffyEoin O'Duffy was in succession a Teachta Dála , the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army , the second Commissioner of the Garda Síochána, leader of the Army Comrades Association and then the first leader of Fine Gael , before leading the Irish Brigade to fight for Francisco Franco during...
.