In Spanish trenches : the minds and deeds of the Irish who fought for the Republic in the Spanish Civil War /
McLoughlin, Barry,1949-author.
O'Connor, Emmet,author.
"The Spanish Civil War has an enduring fascination, not least for the way it drew some 35,000 non-Spaniards to risk their lives to halt the march of fascism. It has also acquired renewed relevance from the surge of neofascism in Europe. At the same time, the representation of International Brigaders as champions of liberty and stainless heroes has been subject to increasing scrutiny, notably since the opening up of former Soviet archives. This definitive study of the Connolly Column - the Irish who fought for Republican Spain - reassesses the Irish experience in the light of sources at home and in Russia, Spain, Germany, Austria, and Britain, driven by a conviction that Ireland was not so isolated in the 1930s and needs to be understood in a more comparative way. Interrogating the publicity generated by the supporters of the Spanish Republic in Ireland, north and south, it shows too how communist groups in Spain waged the war with one eye on its propaganda value back home and uncovers fresh evidence on the controversial career of Frank Ryan. The account is exceptional in providing a detailed narrative of what the Irish actually did in Spain. In graphic descriptions of combat and army routine behind the lines, it illustrates how International Brigades units operated, how politics affected their efficiency, and what their command systems meant for the life, and death, of ordinary brigadistas."--Publisher's description
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction / McLoughlin and O'Connor -- Ireland and the SCW: the setting, Spain and Europe in 1936, clericalism and anti-clericalism in Spain and Ireland, politics in Ireland / O'Connor -- Northern Ireland and the SCW: contrasting perspectives of Unionists and nationalists on Spain / O'Connor -- First actions: Madrid, Lopera, and the defection of the Irish from the British battalion to the Lincoln battalion in January 1936 / O'Connor -- Blood and Boredom at the Jarama: February-June 1937 / McLoughlin -- Frank Ryan and the politics of the SCW in Ireland / O'Connor -- Republican offensives (I): Pozoblanco, Brunete / McLoughlin -- Republican Offensives (II): Aragón, Teruel / McLoughlin -- Retreat and Capture, March 1938: Irish POWs / McLoughlin -- Frank Ryan's trial and imprisonment, 1938-1939 / McLoughlin -- Attempts to Frank Ryan Released, 1939-1940 / McLoughlin -- The Irish volunteers: discipline, desertion and punishment / McLoughlin and O'Connor -- Over the Ebro: Last battle of the Internationals, July-September 1938 / McLoughlin -- Withdrawal, homecoming, and the politics of commemoration / O'Connor -- Conclusion / McLoughlin and O'Connor.
"The Spanish Civil War has an enduring fascination, not least for the way it drew some 35,000 non-Spaniards to risk their lives to halt the march of fascism. It has also acquired renewed relevance from the surge of neofascism in Europe. At the same time, the representation of International Brigaders as champions of liberty and stainless heroes has been subject to increasing scrutiny, notably since the opening up of former Soviet archives. This definitive study of the Connolly Column - the Irish who fought for Republican Spain - reassesses the Irish experience in the light of sources at home and in Russia, Spain, Germany, Austria, and Britain, driven by a conviction that Ireland was not so isolated in the 1930s and needs to be understood in a more comparative way. Interrogating the publicity generated by the supporters of the Spanish Republic in Ireland, north and south, it shows too how communist groups in Spain waged the war with one eye on its propaganda value back home and uncovers fresh evidence on the controversial career of Frank Ryan. The account is exceptional in providing a detailed narrative of what the Irish actually did in Spain. In graphic descriptions of combat and army routine behind the lines, it illustrates how International Brigades units operated, how politics affected their efficiency, and what their command systems meant for the life, and death, of ordinary brigadistas."--Publisher's description
Spain. Ejército Popular de la República. Brigada Internacional.