McGregor came from a family steeped in the Irish socialist
tradition. His mother, Ester McGregor from Crumlin, was a veteran communist and
the president of the municipal tenants association.
Before going to Spain, Liam McGregor was the secretary of
the Dublin branch of the Communist Party of Ireland. He was a graduate of the
communist International’s Lenin International School in Moscow, a university
for training communist cadre, combining academic courses with underground
revolutionary techniques.
On his return from Moscow, McGregor volunteered to go and
fight the fascist menace in Spain.
Soon recognised as a fearless volunteer, a very capable
organiser and a keen political mind, McGregor rose quickly to Company Political
Commissar.
To coincide with the Annual Wolfe Tone commemoration in June
1938, Irish members of the XV International Brigade organised a Wolfe Tone
commemoration at ‘Chabola Valley near the Ebro River. Liam McGregor was a member
of the organising committee.
Writing in ‘Connolly
Column- The story of the Irishmen who fought for the Spanish Republic 1936-
1939’ Michael O’Riordan describes the event:
‘The celebration was
opened by a speech from Bob Cooney (Scotland), the Battallion Political
Commissar. He emphasised the national and international aspects of Tone’s life
and teachings, and proposed the toast to ‘The Father of Irish Republicanism’. Thereafter
many toasts were drunk and a combined Spanish fiesta, Irish ceildhe and
international folk song night developed. Jimmy Straney sang a favourite song of
Belfast’s Falls Road, ‘The Four Flags of Ireland’, another sang about the ‘Boys
of County Cork’ who ‘Beat the Black and Tans’, there were a number of flamencos
and a noteworthy Cuban song by Domingo Morales who was to be killed the
following month. Tone was honoured well into the night.’
On the September 21 1938, Dr. Juan Negrin, the Prime
Minister of the Republican Government announced that the International Brigades
were to be withdrawn. This news reached the XV International Brigade the next
day as they lay in reserve.
Later that night however, news reached them that Fascist
forces had broken through the front and that their Polish comrades of the XIII
Brigade were under sustained attack. For
the final time, the XV International Brigade sprang into action:
‘What a day it was!’
was the entry in the diary of the British Battalion as it recorded the events
of the last day of battle. ‘Such
artillery bombardments as I have never seen before. They literally churned up
our positions. Under the cover of the artillery the Fascists advanced with
infantry and tanks. They were on top of us before we were aware of their
advance. Our lads were mown down.’
It was during this fateful encounter that Liam McGregor died
heroically fighting Fascism. Fellow Dubliner Jack Nalty, was also killed in
action that day.
Despite such an active life fighting for the liberation of
the working class in Ireland and Internationally, Liam Mc Gregor was still in
his twenties when he was ‘mown down’ by fascist guns.
On May 5, 2013 over 200 people attended a plaque unveiling
in Inchicore in honour of Liam McGregor and five other local men, Tony Fox, Mick
May, Joe Monks, Paddy McElroy and Bill Scott, who
fought against fascism in Spain. They are remembered with pride in the streets
of their home town.
Liam Mc Gregor was killed in action against Fascism on
September 23, 1938.
Fuar Sé Bás ar son Saorise na Lucht Oibre!
‘
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