Anniversary marked of Frank Conroy's death in Spanish Civil War

The 90th anniversary of the death of Kilcullen-born Frank Conroy, a volunteer with the International Brigades on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, was marked yesterday in Kilcullen Town Hall, writes Brian Byrne. The occasion featured contributions from distinguished historian and author Harry Owens, alongside Kildare social and military historian and author James Durney, and included a display of the Connolly Column International Brigade banner by the Prosperous Heritage Group.

The event was chaired by Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh, Sinn Féin TD for Kildare South, who characterised Frank Conroy as a 'first-rate Republican who sacrificed his life in the fight against fascism and authoritarianism." 

She drew parallels between the Kildare 'Grey Abbey Martyrs', who were executed by Free State forces during the Irish Civil War, and the Irish volunteers who travelled to Spain to oppose Franco, adding that men like Conroy understood that there was a connection between the struggle for freedom in Ireland and the struggle against fascism across the world. 

"Conroy's legacy reminds us that the struggle is not over yet, and that all of us must show courage and commitment as forces of the far right are getting stronger here in Ireland and internationally," she said. "One need look no further than the pogroms in the six counties last week to understand the importance of this occasion today."

Harry Owens described the intricate nature of the Spanish Civil War, describing it as "perhaps Europe's, perhaps the world's, most contentious conflict." He observed that there was every possible type of political expression involved — fascists, extreme Catholics, anarchists, socialists, communists, dissident communists, social democrats, and ordinary democrats. Owens summarised the objectives of the Irish contingent, led by Frank Ryan, as first an expression of Irish solidarity with the Spanish people and secondarily as protesting against Eoin O'Duffy's Blueshirts, who were fighting for Franco. He highlighted the challenging conditions and inadequate weaponry, which contributed to a casualty rate of one in five among volunteers, characterising the campaign as one of "confusion, disaster, and severe psychological impact" for those involved.

James Durney provided a comprehensive account of Frank Conroy's life. Born in Kilcullen in 1914, his father was a baker employed by the O'Connell family, and subsequently relocated his family to Dublin. 

As a young man, Frank Conroy joined the Communist Party of Ireland, an organisation that often clashed violently with Eoin O'Duffy's Blueshirts. In December 1936, he travelled to Spain with several comrades to fight Franco's forces and was killed less than two weeks later in the village of Lopera. Durney observed that many of the young Irish volunteers had never been in action before, noting that what they had to face within a week of being at the front were German dive bombers, artillery, and machine-gun fire.

He said his initial awareness of Conroy's County Kildare origins stemmed from a contemporary newspaper reporting the Irish casualties in Spain, and that it had taken him many years to figure out where Conroy had actually been born. He closed his presentation by recalling the unveiling of a commemorative plaque honouring Conroy at Kilcullen Heritage Centre on 23 June 2019, in the presence of Nessa Dunlea of the O'Connell family for whom Frank's father had worked, and with Christy Moore performing his song 'Viva la Quinta Brigada'. He also thanked Mick Healy, who had organised that and the most recent event, for decades of dedication to the story.

Concluding the event, Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh thanked all who had been involved, as well as those who had attended, including musicians, the Prosperous Heritage Group, and members of the Grey Abbey Martyrs Sinn Féin Cumann.

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