Bob Doyle -In Memoriam
[Atrás]
El brigadista irlandés Bob Doyle, perteneciente a la 5ª Brigada Internacional, lamentablemente ha dejado de estar a nuestro lado falleciendo en Londres el 22 de enero de 2009. Noventa y tres años contaba este rebelde sin pausa, como así lo designa su biografía traducida en español. Tuve la suerte de conocer a esta entrañable persona cuando asistí a la conmemoración de un con-nacional suyo, el brigadista George Brown. Su presencia en determinadas conmemoraciones a brigadistas internacionales, la última en Belfast en noviembre de 2008, demostraba una implicación moral y política perdurable en el tiempo. No hubo silla de ruedas que detuviera a este «rebelde», no hubo pausa para Bob Doyle haciendo lo que su ideal democrático solicitaba: no olvidar a la España republicana, no olvidar a los compañeros caídos o no en el frente. Y yo no le olvido. Por eso van dedicadas estas pocas líneas para agradecerle, como hice ya en su momento, su lucha incansable.
No te olvido Bob.
Con cariño.
Lidia Bocanegra
ARTÍCULOS EN PRENSA:
Up to 600 to the streets of Dublin to say farewell to Bob Doyle, indymedia Ireland, 16/02/2009 [.pdf] [English]
Passing of Spanish Civil War veteran marked, RTÉ News, 14/02/2009 [English]
Bob Doyle, el último brigadista irlandés, El País, 26/01/2009 [.pdf] [Español]
Bob Doyle: 12th February 1916 – 22nd January 2009: ‘An Unusual Communist’, indymedia Ireland, 23/01/2009 [.pdf] [English]
Bob Doyle, Spanish Civil War Veteran, dies age 92, Irish Times, 24/01/2009 [.pdf] [English]
VÍDEOS: Celebration of Bob Doyle’s life, Dublin, Feb. 14th 2009
Bob Doyle Memorial March down O’Connell Street
Robert Doyle & O’Carolan’s «Farewell to Music» played on harp by Brenda O’Riordan McGaley
Francie Molloy and Seve Montero
Harry Owens & «The Internationale» sung by Eric Fleming
IMÁGENES: Celebration of Bob Doyle’s life, Dublin, Feb. 14th 2009
Ireland and Spanish Civil War: Bob Doyle (12 February 1916 – 22 January 2009)
ABRAHAM LINCOLN BRIGADE FORUM: DEATH OF IRISH BRIGADISTA BOB DOYLE
Dear friends,
As Executive Member for Ireland of the International Brigade Memorial Trust, I regret to have to inform you that the death has taken place in London on Thursday, January 22, of Brigadista Bob Doyle – the last surviving Irish fighter of the 15th International Brigade. Dubliner Bob Doyle has passed on just 3 weeks short of his 93rd birthday.
Bob fought on the Aragon front, but was captured by the fascists at Calaceite in March 1938 and had to endure a year’s imprisonment in the San Pedro concentration camp, as vividly described in his autobiography, simply entitled «Brigadista». Bob was a fighting campaigner to the very end of his life, and his speech in both Barcelona, on the occasion of the International Brigade Homenaje this past October, and in Belfast, on the occasion of his re-dedication of that Irish city’s International Brigade memorial in November, sought to focus on the lessons of Spain for contemporary struggles. In the words of the title given to the Spanish edition of his autobiography – «Memorias de un rebelde sin pausa» – Bob Doyle was indeed a life-long rebel without a pause.
See www.geocities.com/irelandscw/ibvol-BobDoyle.htm for extensive material on Bob Doyle’s life and times on Ciaran Crossey’s excellent «Ireland and the Spanish Civil War» website.
Manus O’Riordan, Executive Member for Ireland International Brigade Memorial Trust and SIPTU Head of Research.