Sir, - I am a daily reader of The Irish Times and always feel I get a balanced view of home and international news. However, Kevin Myers's comments on the role of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War made me squirm.
He alleges that such fine men as Frank Ryan and George Nathan were tools of the murderous Joseph Stalin. Mr Myers must be aware that the International Brigades were formed to defend a democratically elected government in Spain at a time when fascism was rampant throughout Europe.
He knows that Franco's forces were armed and funded by Hitler and Mussolini. Yet he takes the names of fallen heroes who died in Spain defending democracy and associates them with the fascist thugs who nearly overran Europe in the 1930s.
We in Ireland owe a debt of gratitude to men such as Michael O'Riordan, who is still with us, and his less fortunate comrades who lie buried in the olive fields of Spain. I would suggest that if Mr Myers can't show respect for people who gave their lives to make the world a better place, the least he could do is remain silent. Yours, etc.,
Leo Rickard, Dunbo Terrace, Howth, Co Dublin.