Sir—I refer to Brian Hanley’s review of Robert A. Stradling’s book onIrish involvement in the Spanish Civil War (HI Winter 1999). In thatbook there is reference to a ‘Michael Cadell’, a member of the SpanishForeign Legion, who became a Catholic when he joined O’Duffy’s brigade.That man was actually Maurice Cadell, from a well-off Scottish family.He subsequently served as an officer in the British Army during WorldWar II. He married an Irish woman and settled in County Leitrim afterthe war where he became an Irish nationalist, studied Irish and was aregular contributor to Aiséirí, the monthly organ of an ultraright-wing group. I recall one such article in which he outlined howNorthern Ireland could be seized by a national militia force from thesouth in a matter of hours. His career was extensively featured in thenational press at the time of his untimely death about 1951.
Yours etc.,
R. FARRELLY
Ballybrack
County Dublin