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Two Conflicting Irish Views of the Spanish Civil War

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Two Conflicting Irish Views of the Spanish Civil War Fecha de recepción: 28 agosto 2019 Fecha de aceptación: 15 octubre 2019 Fecha de publicación: 9 febrero 2020 URL: https://oceanide.es/index.php/012020/article/view/36/179 Oceánide número 13, ISSN 1989-6328 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37668/oceánide.v13i.36 Dr. Luis Alberto Lázaro Lafuente Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, España ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3236-9905 Two Conflicting Irish Views of the Spanish Civil War Resumen La Guerra Civil española desató un acalorado debate en el recién creado Estado Libre de Irlanda, como se llamaba entonces a la República de Irlanda. Un país que también había pasado por una guerra civil de once meses tras el Tratado Anglo-irlandés de 1921 volvió a dividirse entre los que apoyaban al gobierno español republicano de izquierdas elegido democráticamente y los que se ponían de parte de la “cruzada” de Franco contra los ateos y los marxistas. De hecho, algunos voluntarios irlandeses se unieron a las Brigadas Internacionales para luchar contra el fascismo junto a las fuerzas republicanas españolas, mientras que otros católicos irlandeses más conservadores se movilizaron para luchar con el ejército franquista contra los rojos que los medios de comunicación afirmaban que eran responsables de matar sacerdotes y quemar iglesias. Ambas secciones se veían muy influenciadas por las noticias, los relatos y las interpretaciones de la guerra española que surgían por entonces. Siguiendo la aproximación de Lluís Albert Chillón a las relaciones entre el periodismo y la literatura (1999), este artículo pretende analizar los reportajes de guerra de dos escritores irlandeses que describen la Guerra Civil española desde los dos lados opuestos: Peadar O’Donnell (1893–1986), un destacado activista y novelista socialista irlandés que escribió Salud! An Irishman in Spain (1937), y Eoin O’Duffy (1892–1944), soldado, activista anticomunista y comisario de policía que organizó la Brigada Irlandesa para luchar con el ejército de Franco y que escribió The Crusade in Spain (1938). Ambos contribuyeron a la difusión de información e ideas sobre el conflicto español con sus relatos narrados desde el punto de vista de alguien que ha sido testigo de los hechos, y ambos plantean interesantes cuestiones sobre las relaciones entre realidad, ficción y verdad, utilizando estrategias narrativas y recursos retóricos similares para retratar diferentes versiones de una misma guerra. Palabras clave: Peadar O’Donnell; Eoin O’Duffy; Guerra Civil española; Irlanda; reportaje de guerra Abstract The Spanish Civil War sparked a heated debate in the recently created Irish Free State, as the Republic of Ireland was then called. A country that had also gone through an eleven-month civil war after the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 was again divided between those who supported the left-wing democratic Spanish Republican government and those who favoured Franco’s “crusade” against atheists and Marxists. In fact, some Irish volunteers joined the International Brigades to confront Fascism together with the Spanish Republican forces, while other more conservative Irish Catholics were mobilised to fight with Franco’s army against those Reds that the media claimed to be responsible for killing priests and burning churches. Both sections were highly influenced by the news, accounts and interpretations of the Spanish war that emerged at that time. Following Lluís Albert Chillón’s approach to the relations between journalism and literature (1999), this article aims to analyse the war reportages of two Irish writers who describe the Spanish Civil War from the two opposite sides: Peadar O’Donnell (1893–1986), a prominent Irish socialist activist and novelist who wrote Salud! An Irishman in Spain (1937), and Eoin O’Duffy (1892–1944), a soldier, anti-communist activist and police commissioner who raised the Irish Brigade to fight with Franco’s army and wroteThe Crusade in Spain (1938). Both contributed to the dissemination of information and ideas about the Spanish conflict with their eyewitness accounts, and both raise interesting questions about the relations between fact, fiction and the truth, using similar narrative strategies and rhetorical devices to portray different versions of the same war. Keywords: Peadar O’Donnell; Eoin O’Duffy; Spanish Civil War; Ireland; war reportage OCEÁNIDE | 13_2020 29 he Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) began as a military begun working as an engineer and architect until he joined the uprising, supported by some conservative elements Irish Volunteers in 1917, which later became the Irish Republican such as the Catholic Church, most landowners Army, and, like O’Donnell, took an active part in the Irish War T and many businessmen, against the recently of Independence. In fact, they were fighting together against the democratically elected left-wing Popular Front British. However, unlike O’Donnell, he did support the Anglo- government. When the initial coup failed to win control of the Irish Treaty and served as a general in the National Army in the entire country, a bloody civil war ensued, fought with great ensuing Irish Civil War. Then, as a police commissioner, he became ferocity on both sides. Right from the start, this conflict aroused a strong defender of the Irish Free State. Another difference with the interest of a considerable number of journalists, writers and O’Donnell was his political stance. O’Duffy and many other intellectuals around the world who, aware of its potential world- conservative elements within the country began to embrace the historical importance, wanted to witness and write about the war fascist ideology, which was in vogue at that time. Therefore, at first-hand. The British journalist and biographer Anne Sebba, when the Spanish Civil War broke out O’Duffy began recruiting in her book Battling for News: The Rise of the Woman Reporter has volunteers, the so-called Irish Brigade, to go and fight on the described The Spanish Civil War as “the biggest world story” of Nationalist side of Franco. Supported by the Catholic Church its day (1994, 95) and it certainly was an extremely newsworthy in Ireland and by right-wing national newspapers, O’Duffy and event for English-speaking writers and journalists of the time, the first of around 700 volunteers travelled to Spain in November who produced a large number of texts from very different 1936.3 On his return to Ireland in 1938 O’Duffy published a book political perspectives. In particular, the Spanish Civil War entitled Crusade in Spain (1938). sparked a heated debate in the recently created Irish Free State, as the Republic of Ireland was then called. A country that had Therefore, they are two authors with a similar Irish background also gone through an eleven-month civil war over the Anglo-Irish and experiences during the Irish War of Independence who Treaty of 1921 was again divided between those who supported the later developed very different political views. They both wrote left-wing democratic Spanish Republican government and those two personal accounts or memoirs about the early moments of who favoured Franco’s “crusade” against atheists and Marxists. In the Spanish Civil War, although each one focusing on different fact, some Irish volunteers joined the International Brigades to experiences and with a very different perspective, supporting a confront Fascism together with the Spanish Republican forces, different side of the war. What is more, both contributed to the while other more conservative Irish Catholics were mobilised to dissemination of information and ideas about the Spanish conflict fight with Franco’s army against those Reds that the media, led by in Ireland with their eyewitness accounts, Salud! An Irishman in The Irish Independent, claimed to be responsible for killing priests Spain and Crusade in Spain, two books that nestle within the genre and burning churches.1 Both sections were highly influenced by of literary reportage.4 By definition, this kind of war reportage the news, accounts and interpretations of the Spanish war that is a type of documentary narrative that blends factual events, emerged at that time. personal experiences, anecdotal evidence and perceptions, in a non-fictional form of literature. That is to say, these reportage An Irish writer who showed great interest in the Spanish Civil books are usually linked to informative and interpretative genres, War was Peadar O’Donnell (1893–1986), a prominent socialist in which news is presented to inform the reader, but this news activist and novelist. He came from a small farmer background comes together with the author’s opinions and interpretation of and had left his job as a primary school teacher to become a trade what he sees. We should not forget that it is an eyewitness genre of union leader and champion of the radical left in Ireland. On the journalism, so the emphasis should be on providing an objective outbreak of the 1919–21 War of Independence he joined the Irish and accurate reflection of reality. Republican Army and took part in the guerrilla campaign against British rule. However, he opposed the terms of the Anglo-Irish It is precisely this emphasis on the truthfulness and reflection Treaty signed in 1921 and fought on the Republican side. His of reality that has sometimes led to these texts being used as the political activism also inspired him to write several novels and source of the historiography of the time. Such is the case of Orwell’s short stories, which reveal an understanding of ordinary country Homage to Catalonia (1938), which appears several times in the well- people, their lives and struggles.2 Despite his active political role known history of the recently deceased Hugh Thomas,The Spanish in Irish affairs, when the Spanish conflict begun, O’Donnell did Civil War (1961).5 It is not surprising that this type of chronicles are not come to Spain as a volunteer in the International Brigades sometimes confused with historical narratives, which are nothing or some other militia but was simply an observer.
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