Hi Len Wallace -squeezebox still yer friend? Christy Moore DID write this song, it is a fairly factual account of Ireland's participation in the Spanish Civil War ie both for and against the Fascists - Ireland almost officially provided a battalion of 'Blueshirts' commanded by E.O'Duffy who 'fought' in one battle and were shipped home. They had been bamboozled to fight the 'Anti-Christ Republicans' by the Church and Press in Ireland. By contrast the 'Connolly Column' (named for a hero of the 1916 Rising against the British and a Labour Leader) was a volunteer group of both North and South Irish who fought the War usually attached to the British (Major Clement Attlee) Battalion or the Canadian (Mackenzie-Papineau) Battalion, and at times with the US (Lincoln) Brigade; as there were not enough Irish for a Battalion, but under Major Frank RYAN they made their contribution and their mark as a vital addition to the XV International Brigade - the famous 'Quince Brigada' who are finally being honoured both in Spain and in their homelands... They fought Fascism before WWII and we ought to be proud of them - Viva!