Born in North King Street in Dublin’s North Inner City, Doyle joined the Irish Republican Army as a teenager in the mid-1930’s, before going on to join the newly formed Republican Congress in 1934. -2
Heavily influenced by the Republican values of liberty, equality and justice, Doyle, alongside his comrades, physically confronted the growing fascist threat of the Blueshirt movement on the streets of Dublin. -3
In 1937 Doyle travelled to Spain with other Socialist Republican comrades to aid the defence of the Spanish Republic against a fascist coup d’etat. -4
Doyle fought on the front lines against Francisco Franco’s fascists until his capture in 1938, along with Frank Ryan, by the fascist Italian ‘Corpo Truppe Volontarie’. -5
Doyle was then sent to a fascist concentration camp near Burgos. For nearly a year Doyle endured torture and mock executions by both the fascist camp guards and the Nazi Gestapo - eventually being released in a prisoner exchange deal. -6
Living in London after the war, Doyle went on to became a shop steward for the print workers union, SOGAT. From time to time Doyle would quietly slip into fascist Spain to help organise trade union activity there too. -7
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