BOOK LAUNCH
Thursday 26th May 3pm
THE TOWER HOTEL
Derry
John Quinn, Irish Volunteers for Spain
A SHORT HISTORY OF THE NORTHERN IRISH VOLUNTEERS WHO FOUGHT IN DEFENCE OF THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN 1936 - 1939
This book tells the story of Irishmen who went to fight in a foreign war inspired purely by conviction and ideology. It contains several quotes from those who fought in a war where there was no glamour, no hero’s return and no pomp or ceremony. The book does not engage in the international political backdrop to the war -- it has been written essentially to tell the story of the Irish volunteers who believed so strongly in a cause, that they were prepared to engage in hardship, and if necessary die on a foreign field in order to deter the spread of Fascism across Europe.
In all, some 275 Irish volunteers served in support of the government in Spain. This total figure is made up of men that were either born in Ireland or had one Irish parent. They served in three different battalions of the 15th International Brigade: the British Battalion, the American Lincoln Battalion and the Canadian McKenzie-Papineau Battalion. Of the Irish contingent, 70 were northerners, men joined together by a common bond of Socialist ideals.
Some were Communists, but the majority was Socialist in belief and Republicans at heart. They aspired to a society of equality, embracing “working class principles” and were committed to an all-Ireland Socialist Republic.
This nicely presented illustrated book of 120 pages is based on interviews and much research carried out over several years and has been written in an informative yet simple manner. It is the beginning of a larger project in conjunction with Teach na Failte based on the extensive archive material held by the Belfast Cultural and Local History Group.
Priced at ₤11.99 Sterling or 15.00 euros, it is a Casebound limited edition illustrated publication.
Contact: gerardm042000 [at] yahoo.com