Swift Blaze of Fire
Swift Blaze of Fire
Olympian, Cleric, Brigadista: The Enigmatic Life of Robert Hilliard
Edited by
Author: Lin Rose ClarkCouldn't load pickup availability
Celebrated in song by Christy Moore and affectionately recalled in many memoirs, Robert "Bob" Hilliard, the author's grandfather, is one of Ireland's best-known International Brigadistas. His short life blazed with a rare intensity; his death in Spain left a dark shadow hanging over his family. This book unravels Hilliard’s enigmas to bring us an absorbing character and a fresh understanding of the times that shaped him.
Hilliard was radicalised at school by the Irish revolution. Variously a journalist, an Olympic boxer for Ireland and a Church of Ireland priest, he became a communist and anti-fascist in London, fought with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War and died of wounds sustained at the Battle of Jarama. Eloquent and colourful, he inspires puzzlement as well as admiration. Why was his life so full of contradictions? One question haunted the author's mother: how could he leave his children?
Lin Rose Clark sets out to find answers. Through meticulous research and a deeply personal exploration of her family's past, she brings together an engrossing picture of the man and a tale of flawed romance, passionate commitment and war, portraying Hilliard as part of a turbulent history that still reverberates today.
Details
Details
ISBN: 9781843519218
Extent: 310
Published:
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Praise and Reviews
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'Hilliard's journey, both politically and personally, brings us to the heart of politics in 1930s Ireland and Europe [...] An important contribution to studies on the Spanish Civil War and its Irish dimensions.' Donal Fallon
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'A timely reminder of Irish roles in the historical resistance to Fascism [...] A finely detailed and compelling biography that unflinchingly recounts the contradictions within Hilliard as a person.' Angela Byrne
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'A riveting and fascinating portrait of a contradictory figure and a poignant reminder of the gaps and silences that infiltrate and permeate families.' Myles Dungan
I am really enjoying this book. Lin Rose Clark has deftly entwined the political and social history of Ireland and Spain with Robert Hilliard’s life and times
There aren't many books on history, or with an historical twist, that I find unputdownable, but this was one. The writing style is compelling, and for anybody who wants to understand more about Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, do add this book to (m)any others to gain a more objective knowledge of the British in Ireland. I had certain previous knowledge of the main protagonist, but the detail the author has unearthed is considerable, the research exhaustive I imagine. I even had a tear in my eye at the end, unexpected. I hope this reaches a wide audience, as well as those interested in Irish history, and the subsequent Quinta Brigada connection, the denouement of this fine read.
About the Author
Lin Rose Clark was a teacher and a civil servant before becoming a writer. She has a BA in English Literature from University College London and an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University. This book, shortlisted in 2017 as a work-in-progress for the Biographers' Club's Tony Lothian Prize, is her first full-length work of non-fiction.
