Frank Conroy (communist)

Frank Conroy
Born	25 February 1914 Kilcullen, County Kildare, Ireland
Died	28 December 1936 Lopera, Spain
Allegiance	Second Spanish Republic
Service/branch	International Brigades Irish Republican Army
Years of service	December 1936 (International Brigades)
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War Street battles against the Blueshirts

Frank Conroy (25 February 1914 – 28 December 1936) was a member of the Irish Republican Army and a communist who fought in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the republicans as a member of the International brigade under the command of Frank Ryan

Early life

Conroy was born on 25 February 1914, Kilcullen, County Kildare. He was baptized on 1 March 1914. He was the son of Michael Conroy (who was from County Laois and Catherine Farrell (who was from County Dublin). He had a sister, Mary and a brother, John. At some stage in his childhood he moved to Dublin. He made his Confirmation on 18 March 1928 in Sandymount, Dublin.

Later life

He joined the IRA in the 1930's, he later became a Marxist and got involved in the Republican Congress. He was also involved in street battles against the Blueshirts, around this period he decided to get involved in the Spanish Civil War and join the International brigade. He said to have said "besides being a very efficient fighting force, every member of it having been in action – is also a demonstration. It is a demonstration of the sympathy of revolutionary Ireland with the Spanish people in their fight against international Fascism. It is also a reply to the intervention of Irish Fascism in the war against the Spanish Republic which, if unchallenged would remain a disgrace on our own people." regarding the Irish republican contingent participating in the civil war to a reporter.

A report was published in the Republican Congress newspaper, 'The Irish Democrat' which said “May, Fox and Conroy can’t be stopped taking down and cleaning their machine gun. A comradeship of heroes. The company forms and moves to the attack. The fire is terrific, bits of guns fly and we think we’re all hit. Kit Conway is fair bursting to get to grips, but first must lend two of our best gunners—Mick May and Frank Conroy—to the French battalion.” On 13 December 1936 he set sail to Spain on the Holyhead Ferry. He reached Spain on 14 December and travelled to Albacete. On 17 December he arrived in Albacete the main base of the International brigade. On 26 December 1936 he was sent to the Andalucía front in the south of Spain. His brigade advanced towards the village of Lopera, they came under shell and machine-gun fire and many died. On 28 December Conroy was killed during the second attempt to take the village. Frank Ryan, his commanding officer remarked that he "fought like a hero".^[1][2][3]

Commemoration

On 19 February 1937 a banner was displayed in Dublin bearing the name of Conroy and three other soldiers, which read "We salute the memory of these Irish Defenders of Democracy killed fighting on the Spanish Front. "

As of 2012 annual commemorations by the Frank Conroy Commemoration Committee of the Communist Party of Ireland have taken place. ^[4] To mark the 80th anniversary of his death Paul McCormick wrote a song about Conroy titled A Young Man Named Frank Conroy. The chorus of the song is the following.

He was born in Kilcullen town, where a hill goes up and a hill goes down, and his eyes were blue and his hair was brown, a young man named Frank Conroy.

It was nineteen thirty six in Spain, he went to fight in freedoms name.

And he never did come home again, a young man named Frank Conroy.

Now I don’t know was he afraid, but he joined the International Brigade, and he went to the people’s aid, a young man named Frank Conroy.

Three days after Christmas day on a hillside far far away, out-numbered and out-gunned they say, was a young man named Frank Conroy.^[5]

Bibliography

• Fighting for Republican Spain 1936-38. Frank Ryan and the Volunteers from Limerick in the International Brigades by Barry McLoughlin^[6]

See Also

• Irish involvement in the Spanish Civil War

References