Why Ireland Still Sings Viva la Quinta Brigada | Christy Moore, Anti-Fascism & the Belfast Riots

Following the recent unrest in Belfast, I found myself returning to one of the most powerful songs in Irish music: Christy Moore’s Viva la Quinta Brigada.What begins as a song about Irish volunteers who travelled to Spain to fight fascism during the Spanish Civil War reveals a much deeper story about Ireland itself.In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, I explore the Connolly Column, the Blueshirts, Irish support for Franco, and Christy Moore’s role as one of Ireland’s great custodians of cultural memory.More than a history lesson, this is a story about identity, belonging, and a question Ireland has been asking for nearly a century: Who gets to define what Ireland is?From the Spanish Civil War to modern Ireland, Viva la Quinta Brigada remains a song that refuses to let us forget the choices that surround us.Topics discussed:• Christy Moore• Viva la Quinta Brigada• The Spanish Civil War• The Connolly Column• The Blueshirts• Irish history• Anti-fascism• Belfast and modern Ireland• Protest music and cultural memoryThe Last Mixed Tape is a podcast and video essay series exploring music, culture and the stories that connect them.