Charles Donnelly (poet) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Donnelly
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Donnelly, c. 1935
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Charles Patrick Donnelly
10 July 1914 Killybrackey, County Tyrone, Ireland |
| Died | 27 February 1937 (aged 22) Arganda del Rey, Madrid, Spain |
| Political party | Republican Congress |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Spanish Republic |
| Branch/service |  International Brigades |
| Years of service | 1936–1937 |
| Unit | Connolly Column, part of the XV International "Abraham Lincoln" Brigade |
| Battles/wars | Spanish Civil War |
Charles Patrick Donnelly (born July 10, 1914 – died February 27, 1937) was an Irish poet and a political activist. He believed in a united Ireland and supported left-wing ideas. Charles was killed while fighting in the Spanish Civil War for the side that supported the government (the Republicans).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Charles Donnelly was born on July 10, 1914, in Killybrackey, a small place near Dungannon, County Tyrone, Ireland. His family raised cattle. In 1917, his father sold their farm. The family then moved to Dundalk and opened a shop selling fruits and vegetables. Charles had five brothers and two sisters. His mother, Rose, passed away in 1927 when he was 13 years old.
Charles went to school at the Christian Brothers in Dundalk. In 1928, when he was 14, his family moved again to Dublin. There, his father bought a house. Charles started at O'Connell School but was asked to leave after only a few weeks. For a while, he didn't go to school, but his father soon found out. During this time, Charles met people involved in radical politics, including members of the IRA and the Communist Party of Ireland.
His family tried to get him an apprenticeship as a carpenter. But after a year, Charles decided to go to University College, Dublin in 1931. He studied subjects like Logic, English, History, and the Irish language. At university, he started writing poems and stories for student magazines. However, he didn't pass his first-year exams. He also became very involved in left-wing and republican politics. He left university in 1934 after failing his exams three times.
Becoming an Activist
After leaving university, Charles joined a political group called the Republican Congress. Here, he became friends with well-known republicans like Frank Ryan and George Gilmore. He also had a relationship with Cora Hughes, another republican activist. In July 1934, he was arrested and spent two weeks in jail. This was because he was part of a protest at a bakery in Dublin. After this, his father asked him to leave the family home. For a short time, Charles had to find places to stay around Dublin.
The Republican Congress group had a disagreement and split up in September 1934. But 20-year-old Charles was still chosen to be on the group's main committee. He wrote articles for the Congress newspaper about political and social issues. In January 1935, Charles was arrested again for fighting with a Garda (policeman) at a protest. He was put in prison for a month.
In February 1935, Charles left Ireland and moved to London. In London, he worked for the Republican Congress branch there. He had different jobs, like washing dishes in pubs and working as a reporter for a news agency. He also wrote articles for various left-wing newspapers. With two other poets, Leslie Daiken and Ewart Milne, he helped start a publication called Irish Front.
A friend named Eoin McNamee described Charles as "a thin Dublin man with roots in Tyrone." He said Charles was "an intellectual" and "the main thinker" for the Irish Republican Congress in London. Charles knew a lot about Marxism and wrote for different left-wing newspapers.
Fighting in the Spanish Civil War
In July 1936, the Spanish Civil War began. Charles strongly believed that the Republican Congress should send fighters to help the government side in Spain. These fighters were known as the International Brigades. Charles went back to Dublin to help organize this group. By the end of 1936, he had returned to London and joined the Brigades himself.
He arrived in Spain on January 7, 1937. In a place called Albacete, he met up with a group of Irish fighters led by Frank Ryan. This group was known as the Connolly Column. Charles and his comrades joined an American group called the Abraham Lincoln Battalion. On February 15, after only a little military training, the Abraham Lincoln battalion was sent into the Battle of Jarama, near Madrid.
Charles reached the front lines on February 23. There, he was promoted to be a field commander, meaning he led a group of soldiers. On February 27, his unit was ordered to attack the enemy's positions on a hill called Pingarron. Charles and his unit were stuck under heavy machine gun fire all day. In the evening, the enemy attacked back.
A Canadian soldier who was there remembered Charles Donnelly. He said Charles was "crouched behind an olive tree." Charles had picked up some olives and was squeezing them. The soldier heard him say quietly, "Even the olives are bleeding." This line later became very famous. A few minutes later, as his unit was moving back, Charles was hit by gunfire. He was shot three times and died right away. His body stayed on the battlefield until another Irish fighter, Peter O'Connor, found it on March 10. Charles was buried at Jarama in an unmarked grave with some of his fellow soldiers.
Legacy and Works
A collection of Charles Donnelly's writings, called The Life and Poems, was published in 1987. Only a few of his poems had been published while he was alive. On February 26, 2008, a plaque was put up at his old university, UCD, to remember him. This event was attended by 150 people. The UCD branch of the Labour Party was also renamed the Charlie Donnelly Branch in his honor in April 2008.
His friend, the poet Blanaid Salkeld, wrote a poem called "Casualties" that mentions him. A 1976 documentary about the Spanish Civil War by Cathal O'Shannon was named 'Even The Olives are Bleeding', after Charles's famous quote.
Poetry and Writing
Charles's brother, Joseph, helped get many of his poems published in 1987. The writer Colm Tóibín said that Charles's poetry was a mix of careful detail and youthful romanticism. He believed Charles's poem "The Tolerance Of Crows" should be in any book of modern poetry. In 1992, Charles Donnelly's work was included in an important book called Dedalus Irish Poets: An Anthology.
Remembering Charles Donnelly
In 1992, a book about Charles Donnelly's life, titled Even The Olives Are Bleeding: The Life and Times of Charles Donnelly by Joseph O'Connor, was published. The book was launched by Michael D. Higgins, who later became the President of Ireland.
Charles Donnelly was also remembered in the popular song Viva La Quinta Brigada by the Irish singer Christy Moore.
Work
