Patrick O'Daire (22 May 1905 – 12 November 1981) was an Irish soldier and activist who fought in the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Civil War, the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

with the

XV International Brigade The Abraham Lincoln Brigade ( es, Brigada Abraham Lincoln), officially the XV International Brigade (''XV Brigada Internacional''), was a mixed brigade that fought for the Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War as a part of the Internation ...

, and in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

as part of

Royal Pioneer Corps The Royal Pioneer Corps was a British Army combatant corps used for light engineering tasks. It was formed in 1939, and amalgamated into the Royal Logistic Corps in 1993. Pioneer units performed a wide variety of tasks in all theatres of war, in ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

Early life

O'Daire was born in

Glenties Glenties () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated where two glens meet, north-west of the Bluestack Mountains, near the confluence of two rivers. Glenties is the largest centre of population in the parish of Iniskeel. Glenties has ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1905. As a teenager, he fought in the Irish War of Independence with the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...

and was later an officer in the National Army, the army of the newly created

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

. He remained in the National Army until August 1929 when he immigrated to

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. O'Daire had been lured to Canada on a government scheme which offered ownership of land to immigrants, provided they were able to make it arable. O'Daire worked for a year clearing land but by the time his land was ready to farm, the Great Depression had hit and he was unable to start his farm. A disgruntled O'Daire began agitating against the Canadian government and began helping to organise labour protests. His military experience lead the authorities to consider him a dangerous threat and by 1933 O'Daire found himself arrested and imprisoned on charges of provoking a riot in Saskatchewan. O'Daire served 15 months doing hard labour in a Canadian prison before being deported to Liverpool, England in 1934. O'Daire joined the Communist Party of Great Britain that same year.

Spanish Civil War

In December 1936, O'Daire went to Spain and volunteered to defend the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 ...

during the Spanish Civil War, serving with the International Brigades, army units made up of foreign volunteers. O'Daire and his fellow Irish volunteers would eventually be placed in the

Connolly Column The Connolly Column (, ) was the name given to a group of Irish republican socialist volunteers who fought for the Second Spanish Republic in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. They were named after James Connolly, the ex ...

, part of the

Lincoln Battalion The Lincoln Battalion ( es, Batallón Abraham Lincoln) was the 17th (later the 58th) battalion of the XV International Brigade, a mixed brigade of the International Brigades also known as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. It was organized by the C ...

and the

British Battalion The British Battalion (1936–1938; officially the Saklatvala Battalion) was the 16th battalion of the XV International Brigade, one of the mixed brigades of the International Brigades, during the Spanish Civil War. It comprised British and ...

at different points, and saw action beginning in 1937. Because of his previous experience in both the Irish war of independence and the civil war, O'Daire was used as an officer. O'Daire served as second-in-command to Peter Daly. O'Daire was wounded early on, getting hit in Lopera near Córdoba in December 1936, but was able to recover reasonably quickly. The Irish would see action in the Battle of Pozoblanco as well as at

Guernica Guernica (, ), official name (reflecting the Basque language) Gernika (), is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the mu ...

before taking part in the

Battle of Jarama The Battle of Jarama (6–27 February 1937) was an attempt by General Francisco Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War. Elite Spanish Legionnaires and Mor ...

and then fighting in the

Aragon Offensive The Aragon Offensive was an important military campaign during the Spanish Civil War, which began after the Battle of Teruel. The offensive, which ran from March 7, 1938, to April 19, 1938, smashed the Republican forces, overran Aragon, and conqu ...

. In late August 1937, O'Daire took part in the Battle of Belchite. O'Daire's unit was tasked with capturing the town of Quinto. As part of their orders, they were commanded on 25 August to capture Purburrel Hill, a height south of the town, on which 500 Rebel troops were entrenched behind barbed wire and concrete pill-boxes, fortified with input from German advisors. Finding themselves unsupported and outnumbered against the defenders, O'Daire's unit took heavy casualties and Peter Daly was wounded in the abdomen. Daly was taken away for aid while O’Daire took charge refusing the orders of his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Ćopić, to continue the suicidal attack, keeping his men dug in on the exposed hillside until nightfall and safe withdrawal. On 26 August O'Daire, this time supported by the 15th Brigade's anti-tank battery, succeeded in breaking the enemy lines, leading to the capture of 300 troops. Daly was transferred to Benicassim Hospital near

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

, however by 5 September 1937 he was overcome by his wounds and died. Subsequently, O'Daire took over his command of the

. In 1938 O'Daire became director of operations of the

World War II

During the Second World War, O'Daire signed up as a private to the

. He would eventually reach the rank of Major while serving with the

, fighting in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Later years

After the war, he lived in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

for many years, before finally setting up home in

Llanberis (; ) is a village, community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activities in Snowdonia, including walking ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. He died in 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ODaire, Paddy) 1905 births 1981 deaths International Brigades personnel Irish anti-fascists Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members Irish people of the Spanish Civil War Irish people of World War II Irish officers in the British Army Irish socialists Military personnel from County Donegal People of the Irish War of Independence National Army (Ireland) officers British Army personnel of World War II Royal Pioneer Corps officers Activists from Coventry Military personnel from Coventry People from Llanberis People from Glenties