Swift Blaze of FireCelebrated 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 Hilliards enigmas to bring us an absorbing character and a fresh understanding of the times that shaped him. Hilliard was radicalised at

Close to the World Heritage site of Skellig Michael

the author is resolute in retrospect

Twenty-first century life – hyper-sexualized

wild student parties

to the clash of tribes and tongues

tableaux of a byone age

wildly funny

but nothing cuts as deep as the sense of utter betrayal following the signing of the Treaty in 1922

land-agent and wandering rhymer – to their histories in nineteenth century Connemara

bizarre brick Expressionism of the Amsterdam School coexisted with De Stijl’s bare abstractions

is Christianity would help to grow and nourish a sense of soul

Guthrie’s vivid descriptions of places visited are matched by the observational skills of his remarks on the people he worked with