Updated: Apri1 5th 2008

Pat Read (1899-1947)

Spanish Civil War veteran - anarchist activist - Collection of articles

Pat Read was an Irish veteran of the Spanish Civil War with a long history of struggle in the Labour Movement in Ireland, Britain and America. An article about Pat will be added to the site soon, but in the meantime I've decided to start making some of his material available online.

In 1922-23 he was based in Ireland and was one of the early members of the Socialist Party, which became the first Communist Party of Ireland. He wrote a series of articles for the party newspaper, The Workers' Republic under the name of O U Rube - I am thankful to several people who explained that it apparently means a Yokel, someone who's Dim, a bit of a moran, a Culchie! Now all I need to know is why he was using this jokey mame!!! Apparently in later life when he wrote articles for the Industrial Worker he did a line of jokes bordering on surrealism. (Thanks to Matt White for that reference.)

If anyone has articles by or about Pat Read, I'd be VERY interested to see them.

Ciaran Crossey

irelandscw@yahoo.co.uk

August 24th 2007, updated April 11th 2008.

Biography/Obituary

Pat Read - Notes towards a biography, by Ciaran Crossey, January 2008.

Pat Read (1906-1947) - Irish anarchist in SCW. I've pulled together these notes and some images to give a 22 page pamphlet - it's available from the publications section of this site.

Patrick Read, Former Editor of Industrial Worker, Dies

Reprinted from the Industrial Worker, Nov. 22nd 1947. Thanks to Matt White for passing me a copy of this obit, CC.

Chicago replies to Moscow

One of the main documents attributed to Pat Read is the one, Chicago replies to Moscow - a strong asssault on the actions of Moscow, and other Marxists. this is not really relevant to the Spanish Civil War, but it's a part of his political history, so it's here, it's a part of Irish Labour History.

Thanks to Franc for getting it for me, and to JD for making it available in a proper format.

I now have this available on pdf, so here it is.

Articles in The Workers’ Republic

  1. Unemployment Tactics - January 7th 1922
  2. ‘A Bas le Gironde’: ‘Vive les Montagnards’ 21st January 1922
  3. De Valera in America! March 25, 1922, p4.
  4. Cead Mile Failte! [Larkins' return to Ireland], January 27th 1923.
  5. 'A New Model' Constructive Union Organisation. O V Rube, 24th February 1923.
    [The name seems to flick between O U and O V. I presume these are just typing errors. CC]
  6. They Speak of Mercy, 3rd March 1923
  7. Bounce Beaver O’Brien - Black work in the North: [Bureaucracy in the ITGWU] 5th May 1923
  8. Those Damned Irregulars - examples of the IWW 23rd June 1923
  9. Weapons of Warfare - July 14th 1923