Newsletter report on NI Memorial plans, 3rd Sept. 2005

International Brigade Memorial Trust AGM
held in Dublin - October 15th

A full report of the AGM will be added asap, including the speech by Manus O'Riordan at the Laying of a wreath by Bob Doyle on Frank Ryan's grave.
The AGM was well attended by members and supproters of the IBMT, including 4 veterans of the SCW - Bob Doyle and Mick O'Riordan from Ireland, Jack Jones and Edwards from Britain. 7 members of the IBCC attended and had a number of very positive discussions with officers and members of the IBMT on our memorial plans.
Away from the AGM proceedings the 4 veterans, relatives and IBMT officials met with the Irish President and here are her remarks.
After the AGM there was a brief Irish Times report, followed by the usual bad tempered tantrum by Kevin Meyers. Jack Jones replied to this in the IT on Wednesday 9th Nov. The Irish Times cut Jack Jones letter but you can read these 3 complete pieces here and see a photo of the delegation. 
Some more photographs from that weekend of meetings, etc. will be added asap.

One part of the NI campaign to commemorate Irish volunteers is a group based in Derry who operate the following site. Visit it. www.nopasaran.netfirms.com

The Last Brigader
A daughter's touching tribute for father's day

Liz Shaw (daughter of Joe Boyd, a medic in Spain) in the
Belfast Telegraph, Saturday 18 June 2005

During the Spanish Civil War Belfast milkman Joe Boyd defied orders to drive his field ambulance into no-man's-land to collect wounded from both sides. Once back home he was more committed to peace than ever, going to extraordinary lengths to make his point. Now daughter Liz Shaw, from Dundonald, pays a deeply moving Father's Day tribute to the old war hero she called dad. Read the rest here.

 

Memorial to Kit Conway 
unveiled June 11th, near Cahir.

The Memorial Plaque to KIT CONWAY, Killed at Jarama in 1937, was unveiled 

in his native village of Burncourt, Co. Tipperary at 3.30 pm on Saturday June 11. The principal landmark is Kilcoran Lodge, past Cahir on the N8, the main Dublin to Cork road, and on the right hand side just past a "Top" filling station as you proceed in the direction of Mitchelstown and Cork. Burncourt is just 3 miles further South, and you turn off to the left from the N8 at the first sign for Mitchelstown Cave, after continuing on past Kilcoran Lodge. 

 

Manus O'Rirodan has pulled together a memorial pamphlet, read it here. I hope to be able to make available the speechs from the day asap. These include comments by Mick O'Riordan, Bob Doyle, ManusO'Riordan and Seve, a Spanish activist. About 100 people attended this ceremony and it got some coverage in the Irish Times. Well done to all concerned.

Forgotten warriors return to battle sites
Spanish Civil War fighters travel to the Ebro
for ceremony to honour the International Brigades

Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editor, Sunday May 1, 2005, The Observer

These days the little Spanish town of Gandesa, on the River Ebro, looks much as it did in July 1938, a place of red-brick houses with tiled roofs, dominated by a square church tower boxed in by the river on one side and the Sierra Pandols on the other.
It is a quiet place now. Then, however, it was the setting for the penultimate, bloody battle of the British Battalion of the International Brigades, charged with capturing this pretty little town during the last big Republican offensive against Franco's Nationalist rebels.

One veteran is quoted as saying: 'To my mind the battle on the Ebro was not the last major battle of the Spanish Civil War, but rather the first of the Second World War.'
Read the rest of this article.

New name added to the IB Volunteers List

The son of Francis George Browne has contacted me identifying his father as appearing in the book, XVth International Brigade, p73, third from right on back row.
The photo is of the Irish Section, No 1 Company, Lincolns. This could well explain why the name F Browne appears in their lists but there was no record of him being American. HE is one of numerous men for whom very little paper records exist. 
Born in Dublin but moved to London. where in the mid 1930s he was a member of the CPGB. He stayed in London until his death, working in the newspaper industry.

If anyone can identify the other people in the photo, or has more info on this man (or indeed any other volunteer) please get in touch. cpcrossey@hotmail.com

Rev. Robert Martin Hilliard (1904 - 1937)

By John Corcoran

This article by John has been revivised and updated in the last few weeks. The edition here is now the version authorised by the Hilliard family. Thanks to John for his work and permission to republish.

Many readers will be familiar with the words of the Christy Moore ballad “Viva la Quinca Brigada”, where tribute is paid to the memory of those who fought in defence of the democratically elected Spanish Government between 1937 and 1939. A conflict, which is popularly known as the “Spanish Civil War”.  

Who was this unlikely recruit to the International Brigades? How did an ordained Church of Ireland minister from Killarney end his days fighting fascism in Spain?

John has written this marvellous piece of research bringing us a lot of new material, newly discovered letters and articles. This article gives a fuller understanding of Hilliard and his times.

Broken links in the Eugene Downing material

It has been drawn to my attention that a couple of links were broken in the collection of articles by Eugene. Please feel free to read them all.

On a similar point there appears to have been a problem with an article I'd added about Salaria Kee, an Black American medic who features here, not just because of her own bravery, but because she married an Irish volunteer. Read her story here.

These have all now been fixed, but should anyone find broken links please drop me an email and it'll be fixed asap. CC, 5th April 2005

Officially launched at a well attended in Dublin's Liberty Hall Cultural Centre on March 16th, this book is a must for all who have an interest in the Spanish Civil War or the Irish labour movement generally. Edited by Manus O'Riordan, this new edition includes a 5-page foreword by Michael with 13 additional documents, nearly 50 pages. These include recent interviews with Eugene Downing and Michael by me and another researcher. It is hoped that this site will have the texts of the addresses by Michael O'Riordan, Manus and Cathal O'Shannon, an historian who produced the RTE programme, Even the Olives are Bleeding in 1976. Here are some images from the launch. Hardback £19.99 / ¤30. Paperback £14.99 / ¤22.5 plus 10% post and package Note added March 22nd: The remarks by Michael and Manus O'Riordan at the Launch, and those by Cathal O'Shannon are now available.