his way back to Ireland after approximately eight years in exile. He again stopped first in the Basque Country where he gave another series of lectures which were received with much enthusiasm. Upon returning to Ireland, Martin received lucrative business licenses from the new government to open an import-export business. Amidst the early stages of the Anglo-Irish Trade War, Martin was well-positioned to make a fortune as he tapped new markets for Irish products. Martin established the Irish-Iberian Trading Company in Dublin, and his Basque partners set up a parallel import-export business in Bilbao called Euzkerin with which they cooperatively coordinated Basque-Irish trade. With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Martin thrust himself into politics again. In January 1937, Martin assisted the Republican Congress when they brought over Basque priest Ramón Laborda for a publicity tour to raise support for the Second Spanish Republic in Ireland. For his sympathies with the republican government in Spain, Martin was denounced by far-right TD Patrick Belton as "one of the most pronounced and prominent Communists in this country." Martin was a strong advocate for the Basque nationalists during the war, and relayed messages from the Basque government to the press in Ireland. Following the fall of pro-republican Basque territory to the rebel armies of Francisco Franco, Basque nationalist icon Eli Gallastegi moved his family to Ireland thanks to the efforts of his close friend Ambrose Martin. Later life Following a serious injury from being hit by a car, Ambrose Martin retired to a château he purchased in Brittany, France in 1938. Martin remained there for several years, from where he continued to run the Irish-Iberian Trading Company, now trading with Francoist Spain. He offered temporary shelter in his Breton manor to Basque nationalists fleeing Spain throughout the Second World War. Martin returned to Dublin after the war, living a relatively quiet life until a fatal heart attack in 1974. References 1901 births 1974 deaths Argentine people of Irish descent Sinn Féin politicians Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) members People from Buenos Aires Argentine expatriates in Ireland Argentine expatriates in France People educated at St Finian's College