Sources
Material New to Site
Updated 6th Feb 2012
The purpose of this page is just to draw your attention towards the most recent additions to the site. Some will be notices, new documents or even reprints of original material. Notices generally will stay here for about a month, then moved onto the Site Index. Hope this is of interest and use. I have tried to contact the authors of each piece, and where possible indicate on the site who has copyright. If anyone knows where the original authors of some pieces are, please let me know, CC
(Anyone who wants to be regularly UPDATED should send me an email, with Update Me as the subject.)
Updates, Feb 6th 2012 - IBCC AGM coming Up - Everyone welcome.
The AGM of the International Brigades Commemoration Committee will be held in the Ramada Hotel, Talbot St, Belfast (Behind St Anne's Cathedral), on Saturday 25th Feb, 10.45am. The guest speaker is Dr John Callow, Director of the Marx Memorial Library in London - the MML has the largest collection of material about the Brigades, the volunteers, etc. in these islands.
The AGM is open to everyone, and will be followed, about 1pm, by a wreath laying ceremony at the Memorial in Writers' Square.
Updates, Feb 6th 2012 - Short account of Belfast Protestant for Franco
A Square Peg in a Round Hole (Maybe?): A Brief Account of Captain TF Smith XV Bandera (Irish Brigade) in the Spanish Civil War. This story, and it is amazing, is told by Smith's grandson who is looking for more information, so if anyone can help, please contact him. Read it here.
Programme of events across Ireland, June-Nov 2011
There was a series of events planned to commemorate the Irish volunteers in The Spanish Civil War. As of today I have now added reprots on these events, most of which were very successful. I fully intend to add reports within the next few weeks. 14/11/11. Promise!
- June 24th-25th – Annual George Brown Commemoration, Inistige, Kilkenny. Here's the cover of the booklet, and the details of the arrangements, etc.
- July 15th, Teachers’ Club, Dublin – event organised by eirigi. Poster
- July 28th – Shankill Road Library, Belfast, 12-2.30. Talk by Richard Baxell of the IBMT and Ciaran Crossey of the IBCC.
You Are Legend - The 75th anniversary of the formation of the International Brigades who fought in the Spanish civil war. More info to be added.- August – Workers’ Party delegation to Spain. They are visiting Barcelona and the Ebro, retracing the steps of local volunteer, Patsy McAllister.
- Sept 21-22nd – visit to Belfast by the Clarion Cyclists, who are going from Edinburgh, via Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Wales and onto London, to promote the IBMT while visiting local memorials.
- Oct 13-27th Exhibition in Belfast City Hall using the IBMT display boards, etc. More info.
- Sandino’s Bar, Derry – Nov 3rd – Launch of IBCC booklet of Songs of the SCW – Short speeches by Manus O’Riordan and Ciaran Crossey, followed by craic, songs of revolution and protest.
- Launch of Jack Jones booklet written my Manus O'Riordan at The TEACHERS CLUB, 36 PARNELL SQUARE, Dublin - ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011 AT 7.30 PM:
The Vindication Of Brigadista And Union Man Jack James Larkin Jones: In Refutation Of The British Intelligence Campaign Of Character Assassination , a tribute by Manus O’Riordan.
Manus O’Riordan, Ireland Secretary of the International Brigade Memorial Trust and member of the Workers’ Group of the European Economic & Social Committee will speak in tribute to Jack James Larkin Jones (1913-2009), founding President of the International Brigade Memorial Trust and TGWU General Secretary (1969-78)
Contact details Manus O’Riordan moriordan@dublin.ie
If you can't make this book launch, you can still read and appreciate this research as Manus has made it available online.
SCW gets mention at football match!
November is the time when Armnistice Day is commemorated in Britain, and this year there was some controversy about the wearing of the poppy during an England-Spain football match on November 12th, eventually FIFA agreed that the poppy could be worn. I am not making any political statement here about the use of poppys, but thought that I should draw this image to wider attention. Thanks to Mike Walker for sending it on.Welcome back!
Sadly the site was not updated for nearly a year, a combination of various things, and other research meant I was not able to do a lot on this site - but, given that this is now the 75th Anniversary I will catch up with a few documents I've acquired, and other details of recent events.
The IBCC in Belfast has produced a new badge, and a booklet of songs from the SCW.
In the period when the site was not updated we need to record the death of the last Irish republican veteran, Patrick Cochrane, who died on 31st March 2011 aged 98. An obituary will be added as soon as possible. While this means that all our veterans are gone, it is important that we continue to remember the importance of their anti-fascist struggle.
A you can see from the progamme of events listed above, commemorations contiue,, and I have to add reports of the 2 new memorials, plaques erected for Jim Stranney in John St, and Wlliam (Liam) Tumilson, in Thorndyke St, Belfast.
Index to the Worker, the Irish Democrat and The Workers' Republic - 1930s papers
Update: Among the first documents I put online were the SCW articles from the three Irish Left papers of the thirties. Recently I was looking for some specific references and I decided that a name/individuals index to these papers would be useful, so here it is.
Links for over half of the 600 or so indexed names thru to the relevant article from those papers have now gone online. If anyone comes across a broken link, please let me know.
As a part of this exercise I've come across a couple of articles I'd left off the site, so here's an addition from the Irish Democrat 28th August 1937 Welcomed Home from Spain
CC, Belfast 20/4/8
Pat Read - anarchist in SCW
I've pulled together a document on Pat Read, probably the most definite Irish anarchist in the SCW, and it's available here. An extended version of the document is also now available (with some other material) on the publications page at a reasonable price!
Also available is a pdf version of his document, Chicago replies to Moscow. Thanks to JD for merging the document.
Would anyone with comments, corrections, etc. please get in touch. CC, 8/4/8.
Extensive changes to the Bibliography
I was recently asked to update the bibliography of material on the Irish in the SCW. I've added a few books, thesis, etc. but the main change has been to more than double, to over 340, the list of newspaper, journal articles, etc. I hope people find it useful. Check it out.
Belfast and District Trades Union Council have published a 48 page pamphlet on the local support for the Spanish Republic. There are a large number of photographs previously not generally available, as well as other new material.
The pamphlet, which has the most extensive list of those involved yet available (78 men), is available for £5 (inc. post) - visit our publications page.
Introduction to the pamphlet by Kevin Doherty, Secretary of Belfast and District Trades Union Council.
Paddy Cochrane - Last Irish republican veteran dies
Recent List of Republican volunteers
A full list of those who volunteered for Spain is being finalised. In the meantime, the most comprehensive list yet drawn up is available here.
Update on the Bandera List
I was sent new information on a Bandera vol - Denis Donoghue- previously unknown to the public - and it can be seen here at the start of my Bandera listing.
Land and Freedom - 6 differing views
I was recently sent a press statement by Peter O'Connor and Mick O'Riordan from 1996 giving their opinion on Ken Loach's film, Land and Freedom. I decided to see what else I could find on this and have ended up with a collection of 6 articles, 3 opposed to the politics of the film, 3 supportive.
Along with the statement from Mick and Peter is an article by Bill Alexander, who served as Political Commissar of the Anti-Tank Battery and then as Commander of the British Battalion in the SCW.
This compilation is not intended to start a debate on this site, it's presented here as a part of the historical record and is to allow people to make up their own minds.
Read the Land and Freedom reviews here.
Developments with the Memorial Map
I've now added links on the Memorials page each of the images taking you through to additional documents, etc. about each of the people concerned. One useful link is thru to reports about George Brown and the memorial erected in Inistioge, Kilkenny, June 27th 2008.
Irish Non-Combatants
After checking my notes from the National Archive in Dublin I've added one more woman, Beatrice de Courcy Ireland and Randall McDonnell, to the list, both interesting people. and heres the list. There are now 41 Irish Non-Combatants. Please contact me if you know of more. Updated June 3rd 2007
Guestbook
Please feel free to sign my Guestbook
Gallery - with a question - answered 28th March 2008
I've added another image to the gallery from the Irish Democrat, June 1991, of a group of veterans and relatives in Dublin. Left to Right - Dave Goodman, (British, captured with F Ryan), Maurice Levitas (b Dublin), Bill van Felix (USA), Mick O'Riordan, Eilis Ryan (sister of Frank), Bob Doyle (London, captured with F Ryan), Joe Donnelly, brother of Charlie, John Taylor, a Czech living in UK, Julius Margolin (New York Spanish War Support Committee). What's the name of the woman on the right? Can anyone name her? Please get in touch.
Added March 28th 2007: One suggestion, from Michael Walker, is that she is Thora Silverthorne (Craig) a Welsh Nurse. Michael, Thanks for the identification.
Note by Ciaran - The Gallery has lots of images
Readers should also have noticed by now the appearance of an extensive gallery of photographs. This was only possible after LONG, LONG hours put in by Gerry, many thanks and much appreciated.
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