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Sound recording of interview conducted by Robert Stradling with Bernie Boles, Cahir, county Tipperary, who recalls knowing William F. McGrath, Cork, who served as Sergeant in ‘B’ Company of Irish Brigade in Spain. Notes how McGrath had been working in Fords, county Cork, and attended meeting in Imperial Hotel in approximately August 1936, before being persuaded to go to Spain as an interpreter. Outlines journey to Spain via Lisbon, on board a German vessel, with group consisting of mainly cashiered army officers and policemen. Notes the red light district in Lisbon, stating ‘There was some... time in Lisbon to organise buses to Spain… he [McGrath] told me… it was almost time for the buses to go and several of the Irish fellas were missing… Willie had an idea where they were going because he had heard them talking on the boat about women… so he went towards what he understood to be the red light district… he went down to this house… and here were my brave Irishmen with madam’s ladies… and they were all in this sort of a saloon, and they were all drinking tea or coffee… a few of them [the ladies] had rosaries around their necks and Willie saw the rosaries and he said to the lads… “What are they doing with your rosaries, “Well”, they said, “we hadn’t any money… and that’s all we could give them, and they were quite happy to take them”’. Also notes the horrendous condition of the barracks at Badajoz, upon the arrival of the Irish Brigadiers, due to a massacre that had previously occurred there. Also refers to drinking habits of the Irishmen and the lack of uniforms, stating ‘they were given from Germany… these uniforms… and they were beautiful material, but they were completely wrong in size for the lads because they were all small fellas… so Willie had to go around the town… it could have been Badajoz, to get the seamstresses to make up the uniforms’. In addition, notes that the men never got into battle although two got shot, and meeting ‘Franco’s Moors’. Also makes reference to letter from Welsh landowner, Evan Morgan, Lord Tredegar, to Louis [La Fleur], as he made his way to the Canary Islands (see P13/1/1/12/1).

Sound recording of an interview conducted by Robert Stradling with Denis Reynolds, Cootehill, county Cavan, who served in ‘D’ Company of Irish Brigade in Spain. Records how he heard about the Spanish Civil War through the media, what motivated him to go to Spain at 18 years of age with his friend Phil McBride, the situation in Ireland prior to his departure, his membership of Blueshirts and views on General O’Duffy. Refers to arrival in Galway, stating ‘When we arrived then in Galway there was a very big consignment of plain-clothes detectives and garda there and there was an order out for us to be arrested… it was on the 12th December 1936… the bishop of Galway came down… and he got up on the platform and he… appealed to the authorities not to arrest anyone except there were criminals’. Also describes journey on the tender from Galway Bay, and the issue of minors. In addition, notes a mass on the front marking the receipt of Sergeant Cadell into the church, the journey to Spain, impressions of the Spanish people and military training. Notes also drinking habits of Irish in Spain, and events surrounding the deaths of Tom Hyde and Dan Chute, and the attack at Titulcia, stating ‘We went out that day very early and we engaged this enemy fire… while we were doing that Franco’s troops was closing in behind in a big pincher movement and we had to withdraw to our own trenches that night… we were in a terrible state… when the morning came my coat was stiff with the white frost and I took it off and got two big sticks and stood it up on the top and I only had it up when it was riddled with machine-gun fire.’ Also records life at Ciempozuelos, including the disposal of corpses from the town, stating ‘I was in the mopping up party, and they picked a very young officer and the youngest lads we had… if you were older… you might never be the better of it, there was people dead for two weeks, more, and the dogs wouldn’t… go near a dead person if they could get a live person so the first thing we done was shot all the dogs… then… we brought all the corpses outside the town to the trenches and all the dead dogs, and buried them all.’ Notes billeting in a convent on arrival in the town, stating ‘the whole place was covered with blood… I saw the bodies of the nuns… and some of them wasn’t dead’. Includes an account of attack by enemy at La Marañosa, the execution of prisoners of war at Cáceres, carrying out religious duties in Spain, and further impressions of General O’Duffy. Also refers to the Irish Independent journalist Gertrude Gaffney in Spain, digging the trenches and dugouts, and his life in Ireland on his return from Spain.

Sound recording of an interview with Jimmy Kavanagh, Dublin who served in ‘C’ Company of Irish Brigade in Spain, by his son, James. Notes getting word from the Blueshirts about going to Spain, the trip to Galway, the storm at sea and the rescue operation, the journey to Spain, and impressions of Salamanca: ‘That’s where we were entertained. We were given lovely sandwiches, tea… cigarettes, everything’ and back on the train to Cáceres. Also records being fitted out in German uniforms at the barracks, their arrival at Ciempozeulos, and states of the Brigade, ‘the Irish Brigade did not see actually action, we were too small a company to go into action for a start, but we didn’t know that. We were really a garrison.’ Also recalls being on outpost duty, ‘we used to see movements… and I seen this movement and I said… “Hey look… there’s a Russian out there”… as the dawn broke… what was it?… It was an umbrella’. Notes also life in La Marañosa, and visit to a German battery, ‘the Germans that were there, there was no infantry… and they were a very proud lot, the Germans, ’cos they were nearly all officers, they wouldn’t speak to you… we didn’t know German’. In addition, records return to Cáceres before coming home, and on the subject of staying on, notes ‘those who wanted to could’ve stayed there but I was frightened to stay along with a good many more because in Cáceres when we were doing our training the Irish wasn’t all heroes, there was a lot of them very drunk and caused a lot of old trouble there and we became more or less unpopular.’ Records journey home to Dublin, and response of people in Ireland. Recording is poor quality and inaudible in parts.

Sound recording of an 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.

Sound recording of an interview conducted by Robert Stradling with the younger brother of Major Patrick Dalton, Officer Commanding of Irish Brigade in Spain, noting that Patrick would not have gone to Spain had his mother been alive. Also states that his brother had been an officer in the Irish Free State Army, and then worked in Dublin with Bookmaker, Joe Cunningham. States that Dalton was a personal friend of O’Duffy and was in charge of Blueshirts in Dublin. Notes his motivation to join the Brigade as being religious, and also the fact that Dalton stopped his brothers from volunteering also, stating ‘he said that one was enough’. Also notes lack of recognition of O’Duffy’s men by the church and the state.

Sound recording of an interview conducted by Robert Stradling with Tony Hyde, from Midleton, Cork, younger brother of Lieutenant Tom Hyde, who served in ‘A’ Company of Irish Brigade in Spain. Records that Tom was an idealist and his Christian faith motivated him to go to Spain at age of around thirty-seven. Refers to accounts of atrocities carried out on priests and nuns in Spain, how Tom met O’Duffy in the National Corporate Party, and how he was wounded during the Irish Civil War. Also addresses popularity of Tom amongst men at home and in Spain, the events surrounding his death in February 1937, and recognition of Irish Brigade by politicians, the government and the church.

Sound recording of an interview conducted by Robert Stradling with William Geraghty, Dublin, who served as volunteer in Irish Brigade in Spain. Notes how he heard about General O’Duffy’s Brigade in a public information broadcast at the cinema, and his feelings towards Spain, stating ‘in my limited learnings of the history of the friendship that existed between Spain and Ireland and all that Spain tried to do in the sad times my forefathers experienced, the Spanish Armada, giving sanctuary to the O’Donnells and all the rest… I felt indebted to Spain for their kindness to… our ancestors’. Also refers to strength of his Christian faith as influencing factor on the journey to Spain. Notes his involvement in the Irish army prior to joining the Brigade, the issue of religious persecution, atrocities carried out and his interest in Spanish culture. Also refers to the Blueshirt movement, his view of General O’Duffy, the issue of minors serving in the Brigade and the non-intervention pact, stating ‘we had offers from America, even as far as Canada and America, they would’ve… provided their cavalry units… to go and fight communism’ and remembers some of his commanding officers, including Lieutenant George Timlin, and notes, ‘There is one person that I particularly remember… Tom Hyde, he was killed by mistake in an engagement between two armies that was… on the Franco side’. Provides account of journey to Spain on board a German vessel, stating ‘There was no provision made for meals or for sleeping… The conditions from Galway… was anything but calm’, and on to Salamanca, and then Cáceres where he notes the ‘royal welcome’ of the people and the standard of training there. Also recalls death of Gabriel Lee and carrying his stretcher, the issue of drink in the Irish Brigade, the events of 19 February 1937 and the attempted attack at Titulcia. Notes life in Ciempozuelos including sniper fire and executions of prisoners, and the capture of a Cuban prisoner. Refers also to friendship with an International Brigadier on his return to Ireland in approximately 1946, ‘What he saw when he arrived in Red Spain… he was shocked and horrified because he was also a Catholic and the reason that he went to Spain… the propaganda from the International Brigade’. Records also the contents of a private reference from General O’Duffy, his overall impression of O’Duffy, and issue of recognition of efforts of the Irish Brigade from the state, historians and the church, after their return to Ireland. In addition, notes his views on the articles of Sunday Independent Special Correspondent, Gertrude Gaffney, and details on uniforms, weaponry and pay are noted. Also recalls, on his return to Ireland, an attempt by Geraghty and about seven other men to take a Spanish ship from Derry to Bilbao, and the arrest of the vessel prior to departure.