While Irish involvement on both sides of the Spanish Civil War has been comprehensively accounted for by historians, there remains the issue of the Irish government’s non-intervention in the conflict, even by way of moral support, for the democratic mandate of the Spanish Republic, including the recently established Basque autonomous government. Utilising several previously unexploited Basque primary sources, this article traces and highlights Basque nationalist hopes and expectations around possible Irish government interventions, and how Basque nationalists ultimately felt let down by their ostensible Irish allies. Despite this disappointment, the prevailing pre-civil war perception among Basque nationalists of Ireland as a beacon of national liberation and a spiritual ally of sorts to the Basques was to endure. In exploring Basque-Irish contacts and relations around the Spanish Civil War, the article touches on several interrelated themes, such as misunderstood solidarity, the fate of small stateless nations, the realpolitik of international relations, and historical memory.

尽管历史学家对爱尔兰卷入了西班牙内战的双方进行了全面的解释，但仍然存在爱尔兰政府不参与的问题。-干预冲突，甚至通过道义上的支持，干预西班牙共和国的民主任务，包括最近成立的巴斯克自治政府。本文利用先前未被利用的巴斯克原始资料，追溯并强调了巴斯克民族主义者对可能的爱尔兰政府干预的希望和期望，以及巴斯克民族主义者最终如何被他们表面上的爱尔兰盟友感到失望。尽管令人失望，但爱尔兰的巴斯克民族主义者普遍认为，内战以前是民族解放的灯塔，也是巴斯克人的精神盟友。在探讨西班牙内战前后的巴斯克-爱尔兰接触和关系时，文章涉及了几个相互关联的主题，例如被误解的团结，无国籍小国的命运，国际关系的现实政治和历史记忆。