Ireland

Plaque unveiled to honour Spanish Civil War veteran

A plaque has been unveiled in memory of Bob Doyle, a Spanish Civil War veteran
A plaque has been unveiled in memory of Bob Doyle, a Spanish Civil War veteran A plaque has been unveiled in memory of Bob Doyle, a Spanish Civil War veteran

A PLAQUE has been unveiled to honour a Spanish Civil War veteran in Dublin.

Bob Doyle, who died in 2009 aged 92, was born on North King Street in Smithfield - where a plaque has been erected in his memory.

Organised by the Stoneybatter and Smithfield History project, funds were raised by several events and donations.

Mr Doyle's granddaughter unveiled it, and thanked those who had helped arrange the memorial, which she called "a great honour for a great man".

Mr Doyle first joined the anti-treaty IRA in the 1930s where he lost an eye, and in 1937, joined the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil war to fight for the Spanish Republic.

He was captured and spent 11 months in a concentration camp near Burgos.

After his release, he served in the British Merchant Navy during the Second World War and eventually settled with his wife in London, where he became a trade union activist.

Before his death, he published a book documenting his experiences of the Spanish Civil War called Brigadista: An Irishman's Fight Against Fascism.