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    From Suir to Jarama
    From Suir to Jarama
    From Suir to Jarama
    Ebook131 pages1 hour

    From Suir to Jarama

    By Liam Cahill

    ()

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    About this ebook

    'A wonderful, beautifully written and important book'

    -     John MacKenna (Writer and Broadcaster)

    This is history as you have never experienced it before. The Spanish Civil War. 1937.

    Hear the high-velocity bullets as they whiz past you, the frightening rattl

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrla Kelly Publishing
    Release dateSep 10, 2021
    ISBN9781914225635
    From Suir to Jarama
    Author

    Liam Cahill

    Liam Cahill lectures and writes extensively on Irish labour history and contemporary issues. He is a lifelong trade unionist and has held many representative positions in the Labour movement from branch to national level. A former Industrial Reporter, Economics Correspondent and Political Correspondent with RTÉ, Ireland's public broadcaster, he has worked as a public servant and as adviser in government, politics, the private sector and with campaign groups.He founded and, for many years, edited a popular web site 'An Fear Rua - The GAA Unplugged!' and is currently an active and influential presence for progressive values on social media. In 2017, he completed the Certificate in Creative and Non-Creative Writing for Publication from Maynooth University.Author of 'Forgotten Revolution, The Limerick Soviet 1919' (O'Brien Press, 1990) and 'Forgotten Revolution, The Limerick Soviet 1919 [Centenary Edition] (Orla Kelly Publishing, 2019).

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      Book preview

      From Suir to Jarama - Liam Cahill

      cover.jpgtitle

      978-1-914225-63-5

      Copyright © Liam Cahill 2021

      All intellectual property rights including copyright, design right and publishing rights rest with the author, Liam Cahill. No part of this ebook may be copied, reproduced, or transmitted in any way without written permission of the author. Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. The rights for images used remain with the originator. Permission for use of all images for the book cover and within this publication. Published in Ireland by Orla Kelly Publishing. Cover design by Rob Williams.

      Maurice ‘Mossie’ Quinlan

      Rifle No. 715

      No. 1 Company

      British Battalion

      15th International Brigade

      Killed In Action, Jarama

      17 February 1937

      For Eoin and Susan

      ‘You have to believe in something – in a cause that will make the world a better place, or you have wasted your life.’

      - Peter O’Connor

      Socialist and Anti-Fascist Fighter

      Author

      Liam Cahill lectures and writes extensively on Irish labour history and contemporary issues. He is a lifelong trade unionist and has held many representative positions in the Labour movement from branch to national level. A former Industrial Reporter, Economics Correspondent and Political Correspondent with RTÉ, Ireland’s public broadcaster, he has worked as a public servant and as adviser in government, politics, the private sector and with campaign groups.

      He founded and, for many years, edited a popular web site ‘An Fear Rua – The GAA Unplugged!’ and is currently an active and influential presence for progressive values on social media. In 2017, he completed the Certificate in Creative and Non-Creative Writing for Publication from Maynooth University.

      Author of ‘Forgotten Revolution, The Limerick Soviet 1919’ (O’Brien Press, 1990) and ‘Forgotten Revolution, The Limerick Soviet 1919 [Centenary Edition] (Orla Kelly Publishing, 2019).

      Twitter: @LiamCahill2013 @FromSuir2Jarama

      Contents

      Author

      Introduction

      Acknowledgments

      Prologue

      Chapter One: Jarama

      Chapter Two: Mossie Goes To Spain

      Chapter Three: Mossie – Family And Politics

      Chapter Four: Remembering Mossie

      Chapter Five: My Search Begins

      Illustrations

      Appendix One: Mossie Quinlan’s Days In Spain

      Appendix Two: Frank Ryan’s Description Of The Great Rally At Jarama On Sunday, 14 February 1937

      Appendix Three: Tom Wintringham Recalls Comrades Of Jarama

      Appendix Four: The Nineteen Irishmen Killed At Jarama

      Appendix Five: The Eleven Waterford Members Of The International Brigades

      Appendix Six: A Letter From Peter O’Connor

      Source Materials

      Newspapers

      Bibliography

      Online

      Index

      Previously by Liam Cahill

      Landmarks

      Cover

      Introduction

      At an early stage in researching and writing this book – when I seemed to be floundering in archives, maps and books to little effect – a flash of inspiration came to me: ‘Keep your eye on Mossie!’

      So, that is exactly what I have done. I focus on a close and personal description of one man’s eighty-three days during the Spanish Civil War, serving with the British Battalion of the 15th International Brigade. Who was he? Why did he volunteer and what were the aftereffects on his grief-stricken family? I touch on the socio-economic and political backgrounds, the high politics and the high military dimension of the war only insofar as I need them to give context to Mossie’s experiences. These aspects are already well covered in many other books that I cite in the Source Materials section at the end of this book.

      I am inspired and guided in researching and writing this book by the concept of Ethical Remembrance, eloquently advocated and explained by Uachtarán na hÉireann, Michael D Higgins. Ethical remembering, the President states, requires us to shine a light on overlooked figures and events, as all of us with intersecting stories attempt to achieve a deeper, more balanced and more inclusive perspective. ‘A central dimension of this is a refusal of conscious or unconscious amnesia, not only of persons but also of events and of the assumptions and actions that drove them.’

      President Higgins says that we are all challenged to engage with our shared past in a manner that is honest, authentic and inclusive. ‘I believe that we, and those who are part of the discourse with us, must remember in full, taking all of the diverse perspectives and experiences into account, with a willingness to hear the stories that might prove less comfortable, and give space to the perspectives that might challenge each other.’

      My wife, Patricia, died in October 2015, and since then my children and I have weathered many daunting challenges. I dedicate this labour of love to Susie and Eoin in gratitude and pride.

      Liam Cahill

      30 June 2021

      Acknowledgments

      I have incurred many debts of profound gratitude in my research and writing. None greater than the one I owe to Seán Kelly, my old friend and comrade from Waterford. I benefitted from Seán’s great generosity in sharing his remarkable treasure trove of books, articles, photographs and other materials about the Spanish Civil War. More importantly, he constantly stimulated my thinking and challenged me throughout this project and his insights were invaluable.

      Ger McCloskey and David Convery provided the superb photos of present day Jarama that will help readers to orientate themselves within the topography of the battlefield. Rob Cross generously used his skill and experience on the restoration of a 1917 photo of Mossie’s grandfather, Alderman Maurice Quinlan, with Éamon de Valera. Thanks go to Dermot Power, whose knowledge and love of Waterford and its history knows no bounds, for his confirmation of the location shown in the only known photograph of Mossie. I am also indebted to my cousins, Mossy Quinlan and his sister Bernie Lara Quinlan, for diligently searching through old family photographs seeking other photos of Mossie.

      Dr. Pat McCarthy, the premier historian of revolutionary times in Waterford, kindly provided me with essential information and a reference in official documents about the Quinlan family’s continued adherence to the Irish Volunteers and membership of Sinn Féin following the John Redmond-induced split in the Volunteers in 1914. Derek Chestnutt provided helpful information and advice on the Quinlan family genealogy and profound thanks are due to John Mernin for sharing his outstanding working in tracing the Quinlan family ‘tree’ back as far as 1815.

      Tony Hennessy drew my attention to an important news report about Mossie’s death in the ‘Waterford Standard’ newspaper and John Power, a Ballybricken man through and through, talked to me about his memories and insights of Mossie and his family.

      I am particularly grateful to Bobby and Breda Brown, in Australia, for identifying and providing information on Bobby Clancy, one of the young men in the photograph with Mossie. Many thanks, as well, to Darren Skelton and the ‘Waterford News and Star’ for publicising my efforts to identify the other young men in the photograph. Thanks to Dr. Barry McLoughlin, a recognised authority on Irish involvement in the Spanish Civil War, for his courteous and helpful response to specific queries in relation to Mossie and to Alan Warren in Spain for information in response to a specific factual query.

      This book has its roots in a non-fiction essay I submitted as part of my studies at Maynooth University in 2017 for the National University of Ireland Certificate in Creative and Non-Creative Writing for Publication. After many years shackled to ‘deadline’ journalism and communications, the course liberated me in my approach to writing. From my tutor in Creative Non-Fiction, John MacKenna, I learned that great writing comes from being brave enough to go deep inside yourself and bringing your thoughts and ideas into the open before the

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