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 War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

, the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

, the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

with the XV International Brigade, and in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as part of Royal Pioneer Corps of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

Early life

O'Daire was born in Glenties,

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

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 Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

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

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

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

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, 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 Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. 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 The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

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 The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...

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 democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

during the Spanish Civil War, serving with the

International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...

, army units made up of foreign volunteers. O'Daire and his fellow Irish volunteers would eventually be placed in the Connolly Column, part of the Lincoln Battalion and the British Battalion 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 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 Second Spanish Republic, Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War. Elite Spa ...

and then fighting in the Aragon Offensive. 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 ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, however by 5 September 1937 he was overcome by his wounds and died. Subsequently, O'Daire took over his command of the British Battalion. In 1938 O'Daire became director of operations of the XV International Brigade.

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 Royal Pioneer Corps, fighting in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Later years

After the war, he lived in

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

for many years, before finally setting up home in

Llanberis Llanberis () is a village, community (Wales), 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 activity, outdoor ac ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. 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