Connolly Column: The Story of the Irishmen Who Fought for the Spanish Republic, 1936-39 [First Edition], Michael O'Riordain

First edition hardcover with heavily worn but intact dust jacket. Numerous illustrations, photographs and maps. Scarce Collector’s Item, priced low due to condition of dust jacket, but internally book is immaculate. [Little Lane Bookshop]

On the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, support for the Spanish Republic grew among left-wing organizations, taking tangible form in a decision in September 1936 to form an International Brigade of volunteers to fight with the Republican government against the fascist-dominated Nationalist rebels. This decision was echoed in Ireland by various left-wing groups; the chief organizers of this effort were Sean Murray, Peadar O’Donnell, and Frank Ryan. In December 1936, a group of eighty volunteers, led by Frank Ryan, arrived in Spain. The majority came from the Irish Free State, but there were also a group of republican socialists from Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland. Those who went included Michael O’Riordan and Charles Donnelly.