On the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War the Irish socialist,
Peadar O'Donnell, urged the formation
of volunteer regiments to support the Popular
Front government. O'Donnell
established the Connolly
Column,
named after his hero, James
Connolly.
In December 1936, Frank
Ryan
and eighty volunteers arrived
in Spain. The majority came from the Free State but there were also
a group of socialists from Belfast. Those who went included Charlie
Donnelly, Eddie O'Flaherty, Paul Burns, Jackie Hunt, Bill Henry, Eamon
McGrotty, Bill Beattie, Paddy McLaughlin, Bill Henry, Peter O'Connor,
Peter Power, Johnny Power, Liam Tumilson, Jim Straney, Willie O'Hanlon,
Ben Murray and Fred McMahon.
After travelling through
southern France by train to Perpignan, they
went to the training at Albercete in Spain
run by André
Marty. The Connolly
Column suffered heavy
losses at Jarama (February 1937). Charlie
Donnelly, Eamon McGrotty, Bill Henry, Liam Tumilson and Bill Beattie
were all killed during this battle.
Ryan was badly wounded
at Jarama in February 1937 and returned
to Ireland to recuperate. On his
returned to Spain and was appointed adjutant to General José
Miaja. Ryan was
captured during the Aragón offensive
on 1st April, 1938 and was held at the Miranda del Ebro detention
camp. He was sentenced to death but after representations from Eamon
de Valera his sentence was commuted to thirty years.
Available from Amazon Books
(order below)
