Swift Blaze of Fire: Olympian, Cleric, Brigadista - The Life of Robert Hilliard
Lin Rose Clark
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.
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Reviews for Swift Blaze of Fire: Olympian, Cleric, Brigadista - The Life of Robert Hilliard
Angela Byrne The most complete account we are ever likely to have of Bob Hilliard's life.
Joseph O'Connor I’ve been singing Bob Hilliard’s name for 40 years, and now we finally have his story, written by his granddaughter. No pasarán!
Christy Moore Was Robert Hilliard—Irishman, boxer, journalist, priest, socialist and Spanish Civil War fatality—an example of ‘heroism or shiftless betrayal’? Lin Rose Clark stopped ‘waiting for the pieces to fit together’ and went in search of her grandfather. The result is 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 This extraordinary biography takes a figure from the margins of 1930s Irish politics and puts them centre stage. Hilliard's journey, both politically and personally, brings us to the heart of politics in 1930s Ireland and Europe. This Brigadista has finally found his biographer, in what is an important contribution to studies on the Spanish Civil War and its Irish dimensions.
Donal Fallon A superb book that successfully roots its protagonist in his stirring times. A warts and all account ... Essential reading.
John Newsinger Hilliard is portrayed as an attractive personality, who was far ahead of his time … Lin Rose Clark has done a fine job telling his story.
The Irish Catholic