The story of the Irish who fought for Republican Spain
There was no escaping the Spanish question in Ireland in the twelve months after the summer of 1936, write Barry McLoughlin and Emmet O’Connor By Barry McLoughlin and Emmet O’Connor Tuesday 22 Dec 2020, 9:00 PM Dec 22nd 2020, 9:00 PM 18,520 Views 36 Comments
ON 20 JULY 1936, reports appeared in Irish newspapers of an attempted coup d’etat in Spain. It would come to be led by General Francisco Franco.
Trouble had been brewing since the left-wing Popular Front won the general election in February. Political violence was increasing, and the government was losing its grip on the country. Spain had a long history of army intervention in politics, and seemed a backward, isolated country. But things were different in 1936 because of the way events in Spain intersected wit