Obituary: Eugene Downey

dublin | miscellaneous | news report

Thursday July 31, 2003 18:02

by Oisín Breatnach

Obituary: Eugene Downey { photo redjade }

Obituary: Eugene Downey

Eugene Downey, author of La Nina Bonita and one of the last survivors of the Irish contingent in the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War has passed away as all old soldiers must. Draped by the twin flags of the Starry Plough ( the flag of Irish labour) and the flag of the international brigades Irish section, his coffin was accompanied by his extended family, friends and comrades to Mount Jerome Cemetery in Dublin for burial yesterday,

Born in 1913, the year of the great general strike in Dublin, he was politicised at an early age and became involved in the Republican Movement and later in the forerunner of the Irish Communist Party. He had a great admiration for the politics of republican socialist Frank Ryan and was one of those who followed him to Spain to defend the Spanish Revolution, enlisting in the 15th International Brigade.He was later to write a book in the Irish language about his experiences .
On the first day of the Republican Ebro offensive in July 1938, he was wounded in the leg and because of his isolated position help arrived late. As a result, gangrene set in and his leg had to be amputated. A measure of his sense of humour, he was later to quip about this that he was one person who could say with certainty that he had one foot in the grave.

He was a lifelong atheist, activist and Irish language speaker, a wonderful free spirit who will be greatly missed by all who met and knew him. His strength, courage and fortitude will continue to give hope to many. When a relative asked him whether he believed in heaven, his wry sense of humour caused him to retort that if as an atheist he were to be to be proven wrong that he would be pleasantly surprised whereas his questioner if proven wrong would be greatly disappointed!

Viva la Quince Brigada!

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other links

http://www.geocities.com/irishafa/irishvets.html

http://members.lycos.co.uk/spanishcivilwar/biblio.htm

http://www.communistpartyofireland.ie/spainn.html