In the late 1930s, the Spanish Civil War was both a cause celebre and a true international flashpoint, garnering support from thousands from Europe and the Americas who saw the fight as a crucial bulwark against the spread of global fascism. In this book, Barry McLoughlin and Emmet O'Connor offer the first history of the Irish role in the International Brigades, the famed military units who counted such notables as George Orwell, Simone Weil, and Ernest Hemingway among their ranks. "The Spanish Trenches are Here in Ireland" explores how the fight for democracy in Spain was more than just a foreign abstraction to the hundreds of Irishmen who joined the International Brigades: they saw it as an extension of the struggle for freedom they'd launched barely two decades earlier in their homeland. Drawing on previously unseen Spanish archival sources and including a definitive list and short biographies for each Irish member of the International Brigades, McLoughlin and O'Connor offer a fascinating study of the political mindset of Ireland's supporters of the Spanish Republic at a revolutionary moment in both nations' histories.

The 69th volume in this growing series taking a nostalgic look at Britain's transport heritage...The aim of this series is to appeal to readers of all ages, perhaps for different reasons...In this volume: We travel back to the year 1972 for a nostalgic look at the street scenes of Blackpool, Bispham and Fleetwood, the places in between and in particular the tramway system as it was at the time. For the younger reader there are wonderful pictures of trams, cars and other forms of road transport that they will never have seen. For the older reader the books in the Recollections series are designed to build into a collection placing road transport and other subjects in the context of key events, thus providing an historical perspective of Britain in times past. For those old enough to remember 1972, this book will, we hope, provide reminders for many of school days, time spent in Blackpool on holiday or on a day trip, perhaps even time spent tram spotting! Of course not everyone has been to Blackpool and for them we hope the images within will still resonate through the fashions, the adverts, the vehicles and so much more of a time now over 40 years ago when daily life was so very different.The books in the series also make ideal theme gifts for the year of birth, marriage, retirement, starting work and other such events in life.

The Recollections seriesThe 67th volume in this growing series taking a nostalgic look at Britain's transport heritage...The aim of this series is to appeal to readers of all ages, perhaps for different reasons...In this volume: We travel back to the year 1973 for the first of a two part nostalgic look at the street scenes of Blackpool, Bispham and Fleetwood, the places in between and in particular the tramway system as it was at the time. (Part 2 is No 68 in the series)For the younger reader there are wonderful pictures of trams, cars and other forms of road transport that they will never have seen. For the older reader the books in the Recollections series are designed to build into a collection placing road transport and other subjects in the context of key events, thus providing an historical perspective of Britain in times past. For those old enough to remember 1973, this book will, we hope, provide reminders for many of school days, time spent in Blackpool on holiday or on a day trip, perhaps even time spent tram spotting! Of course not everyone has been to Blackpool and for them we hope the images within will still resonate through the fashions, the adverts, the vehicles and so much more of a time now over 40 years ago when daily life was so very different.The books in the series also make ideal theme gifts for the year of birth, marriage, retirement, starting work and other such events in life.

Takes a trip back to 1971 to see what was happening in Blackpool - and also recalls the wider world events of that year. This book offers a brief historical introduction and illustrations from 1971 that cover the tramway and street scenes of Blackpool, Lytham and Fleetwood.

There were 230 Irish-born among the volunteers in the International Brigades fighting fascism in the Spanish Civil War. This book focuses on the six volunteers from Limerick. It uses Russian files to paint a general picture of the involvement of the Brigades, especially in the British battalion of the 15th Brigade. The book commences with the persecution of the Irish Left in the 1930s and explains the reasons why Frank Ryan led a contingent to Spain in December 1936. It examines the tension between Irish and British leaders in Spain, the major battles of 1937, the imprisonment of Frank Ryan in Spain and his role in German exile. The final chapter is the first attempt to describe in detail one of the most gruesome episodes that occurred in the British battalion: the semi-judicial murder of a Limerick volunteer, the machine-gunner Maurice Emmet Ryan during the Ebro battle in August 1938. Finally, 60 pages of statistical data of all the Irish participants in the Brigade's history.

Using photographs, maps, ephemera and reminiscences, Barry McLoughlin recounts the history of not only the area's main lines but also the miniature railways and the Knott End branch. First published in 1996, this new edition is updated and includes several additional photographs.