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24 Oct 09 - 01:12 PM (#2751749) Subject: An Irish anti-fascist song (1930's) From: GUEST Came across the following in an interesting book called "Ireland's Other Poetry: Anonymous to Zozimus", which I recommend: Battle song of the Irish Christian Front: "Off to Salamanca" My name is Owen O'Duffy, And I'm rather vain and huffy The side of every Bolshie I'm a thorn in But before the break of day I'll be marching right away For I'm off to Salamanca in the morning! Chorus With the gold supplied by Vickers I can buy Blue Shirt and knickers Let the Barcelona Bolshies take a warning For I lately took the notion To cross the briny ocean And I start for Salamanca in the morning There's a boy called Paddy Belton, With a heart that's soft and meltin' Yet the first to face the foemen, danger scorning Tho' his feet are full of bunions Yet he knows his Spanish onions And he's off to Salamanca in the morning. Chorus Now the "Irish Christian Front" Is a Lombard-Murphy stunt (Hark! the ghostly voice of Connolly gives warning) And Professor Hogan's pals Can don their fol-de-lals And start for Salamanca in the morning Chorus When they get kicked out of Spain And they travel home again Let then hearken in good time to this our warning If they try their Fascist game They'll be sorry that they came Back from Salamanca in the morning! Chorus |
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24 Oct 09 - 01:15 PM (#2751754) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: michaelr A bit confused, I'd say -- is it fascists or bolsheviks he's fighting? |
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24 Oct 09 - 01:20 PM (#2751759) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: GUEST It's a piss-take - more the irony curtain than the iron curtain, I suppose. The last verse amounts to the true hero leaping out from the costume of the pantomime villain and hammering home the moral... |
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24 Oct 09 - 02:43 PM (#2751840) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: Thompson O'Duffy and his Irish Republican comrades were fighting against the democratically elected left-wing government, and were fighting on the side of Franco's Falangists - right-wingers whose coup d'etat toppled that government with the backing of Germany and American arms. Another, larger, group of Irish Republicans were fighting in the International Brigade for the Republic and against Franco. |
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24 Oct 09 - 02:48 PM (#2751845) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: GUEST Be careful with the use of the term "Irish Republicans" here! To you it may just mean "people from the Irish republic" (though that didn't exist at the time, as it happens). To Irish people and many others, it means those who support an all-Ireland republic. O'Duffy and his supporters were very definitely NOT republicans in that sense. |
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24 Oct 09 - 03:33 PM (#2751876) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: McGrath of Harlow Well, they were actually. I very much doubt if you could find any indication that any of them wanted Partition, or an Ireland that wasn't a republic. |
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24 Oct 09 - 03:37 PM (#2751879) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: Paul Burke Duffy's Blueshirts, trust the Irish to add comedy to a tragedy. They were sent home as useless by Franco; his subsequent attempts to send an Irish contingent to support Hitler in Rissia saved a few dozen Irish lives- by being treated with the contempt they deserved. That song's a squib worth preserving. |
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25 Oct 09 - 08:24 AM (#2752287) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: GUEST Paul Haven't heard that usage of "squib" for a long time. Nice one! |
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25 Oct 09 - 01:05 PM (#2752431) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: Young Buchan "I very much doubt if you could find any indication that any of them [Duffy's Blueshirts] wanted Partition" 'Wanted' partition might be a tad strong, but they certainly ACCEPTED it. Duffy/Cosgrave's Fine Gael were pro-Treaty followers of Collins, and at the throats of Fine Fail and the other anti-Partitionists. |
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25 Oct 09 - 01:34 PM (#2752458) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: McGrath of Harlow "Fine Fail" is an interesting political term. It could be an excellent way of summing up the way Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have assimilated over the years. |
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25 Oct 09 - 03:14 PM (#2752517) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: Young Buchan Touché! :-) |
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25 Oct 09 - 03:46 PM (#2752532) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: ard mhacha Paul Burke if you care to read the following the brave Irish men who fought against Franco did not come home in disgrace, you seem to relish belittling anything Irish. http://www.shapesoftime.net/pages/viewpage.asp?uniqid=12396 |
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25 Oct 09 - 04:26 PM (#2752546) Subject: RE: An Irish anti-fascist song From: GUEST Gently, ard mhacha - he's referring to the other lot! |