In July 1936 Peadar O’Donnell, a veteran of the Irish war of Independence and civil war travelled to Spain on holiday. He was among those caught up in the opening stages of the Spanish Civil War. He witnessed the chaotic opening phase of the conflict providing gripping eye witness detail. As this podcast reveals O’Donnell was in Barcelona and was both inspired and horrified by what he saw. The city was convulsed by an attempted coup, a socialist revolution and extreme anticlerical violence all within one week!

We also hear the perspective of the Irish priest Alexander McCabe who had very different political views and sympathies to O’Donnell. The famous writer english writer George Orwell also makes an appearance in what is a gripping story of war and revolution.