The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War threw Irish politics, north and
south of the border, into turmoil. Tragic events in Spain aroused
emotive responses across the spectrum of Irish society. In contrast to
most other communities of the British Isles, citizens of the Irish Free
State were mainly pro-Franco. But many on the left felt a strong
identification with the plight of the Republic. Ireland sent large
organized bodies of men to fight on opposite sides in the Spanish Civil
War. The International Brigade volunteers were led by the IRA warrior,
Frank Ryan. Their rivals, who became a battalion of Franco's Foreign
Legion were mostly members of the semi-facist Blueshirts, and were
commanded by the ex-leader of that movement, General Eoin O'Duffy. In
late 1936, two enemy crusades - Communist and Catholic - left Ireland to
fight it out in Spain. This book, illuminated by personal histories,
tells the story of what happened to those two sides. Starting with their
eventful journey to
Spain, it follows their footsteps across the battlefields of Spain.