Description
Sound recording of interview conducted by Robert Stradling with Patrick Smith, county Cavan, who served in ‘D’ Company of Irish Brigade in Spain. Notes how he heard about the appeal for volunteers for the Irish Brigade in the 'Irish Independent', while working as Chief Butter-maker in creamery in Thomastown, county Kilkenny. States ‘I had an assistant, Jim Morrisey… the following morning… I was reading the paper and read all about this, and this got to me, I was gripped, and every time we met around the dairy… Jim and I, we couldn’t talk of anything else… and the pact was made that the two of us would go to Spain.’ Records also contact with Pádraig Quinn of Gowran House regarding getting a passport for Spain and how he had to lie to the authorities saying that he was going to Denmark to study in a dairy science college. Refers to membership of Blueshirts, views on General O’Duffy, communism and the issue of minors, noting ‘The reason why we left Spain because… more than fifty percent of the Brigade were under twenty-one… our good government of the day, held by Eamon De Valera, rushed the Citizenship Bill through... and if the fellas under twenty-one were not back in Ireland by such a date they were [displaced] persons, they had no country… so O’Duffy made sure they were back.’ Notes journey to Spain via Liverpool and Lisbon, his impressions of Spanish people, allegations of drunkenness, and interviews with other Brigadiers such as Matt Doolan and Paddy Quinn. In addition, notes military training in Cáceres, and events surrounding deaths of Tom Hyde and Dan Chute, noting reasons for incident as follows ‘the uniforms… we hadn’t a distinctive uniform… they were Canary Islanders… and their uniform was different… and lack of communications’. Also mentions attack near Titulcia and mining the track of the armoured train, and impressions of Ciempozuelos and La Marañosa, noting the following about the latter, ‘what our biggest trouble there was shortage of water… we went searching and three miles down the mountainside we came across a farmhouse and a well… we loaded ourselves up… we drank ourselves sick… we hadn’t water for days and days… it turned out that that water after a number of days, we couldn’t use it, it was stinking… and we saw… green scum… we got in and emptied the well… there was at least seven or eight bodies in it, a whole family… who had been murdered by the Reds and thrown in the well’. Also refers to marching alongside St. Mary’s Band, carrying out religious duties and the issue of recognition of Brigadiers by church or state on their return to Ireland. In addition, notes witnessing execution of prisoners, further impressions of General O’Duffy, and Smith’s political persuasion. In addition, records the contents of documents in Smith’s possession. These items are too fragile to be safely handled. For digital access to contents, please check with a member of staff.
