Up in Derry, the Sinn Fein boy was anxious.
‘This thing about no contact. Where does that leave us? I mean, how are we supposed to get anywhere if there’s no contact?’
‘I wish you wouldn’t take him so seriously. This is for public consumption. We get on with what we need to.’
‘Here, but he just said the total opposite.’
‘Read between the lines. That’s the British way. Get on with the job, and don’t make a fuss.’
45
Henry was having forty winks, when he heard a hubbub.
Up and out among them.
‘What is it?’
‘You were right. The gloves are off. London has approved a major operation against this ASU. They’re going to try it on, and we’ll be waiting. The intel is damn good. If you ask me, PIRA want rid of these bastards too. We’re doing their dirty work for them. A mucky deal has been done.’
‘You don’t mean between us and PIRA?’
‘Not in so many words. Thomas à Becket style. Nods and winks. Filling in the blanks. They’re learning to speak our language.’
‘Who’s running the op? Bernard?’
‘You won’t like it. Polly.’
‘Just what I need. Is he here?’
‘Flying in from London tonight. Tricky bastard, isn’t he?’
‘Not my greatest fan. We had a run-in last time. Perhaps he’s the forgiving sort.’
‘No match for you, I’m sure.’
‘Kind of you to say. Let’s hope we never find out.’
46
Up at the farm, Pig was in tears.
They all piled in the back kitchen for the squad meeting. Nobody could believe what they were looking at. Sitting in the corner by the range on the wee stool like some old biddy. Crying his eyes out, the cratur. Sobbing and wheezing. Sighing and moaning.
‘We’re fucked, lads. We’re finished. It’s over. This is no joke this time, no trick to test your stuff. This is deadly serious. They’re back on the roads. They’re all over the town. They’ll be moving in on us any day. We haven’t a chance. We’re finished.
‘London said they were in earnest about steps towards Irish unity, but that was a fucking joke. And Belfast said they would back us all the way, but they’ve hung us out to dry. The only reason they sanctioned this squad was to get rid of the lot of us. And all the Brits are in earnest about is sending every one of us home in a coffin, and they’re not going to stop until it’s done. Youse can all see there’s no way we can defeat them militarily. So it’s time to throw in the towel. Call it off. Unconditional surrender, and we’ll see what comes next. It can’t be any worse than this.’
Diamond it was who got up. He had the cowboy boots on him, all his country and western gear, the chest stuck out. The wee fake diamonds on the big belt buckle gleaming and glimmering. It was hard not to stare.
‘This here’s a squad meeting, and I’m entitled to say my bit. And just so you know, I say nothing behind any man’s back, so I’m telling you right out in front of everybody, and you can just cool the beans. That there, what you just said, is a steaming pile of bullshit. You told me the other week I don’t have the right stuff for the fight, but that’s the one thing you’re lacking yourself. The higher-ups put you in charge, but who could listen to you? You surrender if you like, but you’ll be on your own.
‘Or, I tell you what. Even if all these men surrender, every other squad, the Army Council itself, I won’t. If I’m the last man standing, I’ll keep the struggle going. I’ll be a one-man Irish Republican Army. And do you know why? Because I’ve read my history, and if I know anything, it’s that you don’t get a damn thing from the Brits by asking nicely. There’s only one language them cunts understand, and I’m just the boy to give it to them. I won’t give up fighting until justice is done. History is on our side, boy.’
A couple of the lads actually clapped. But they soon stopped. Old Ned was getting to his feet.
A good minute, minute and a half.
It was like when a chopper went over. You just had to look at your shoes and wait.
Then he was up, and he spoke.
‘All well and good, McDaid. You’re a fine soldier, and you have a wise noggin for your years. But you’re still a young man. I’ve been around the block a few times. I’d been around the block a few times when you were still in nappies, aye, and when your daddy was still in nappies, so just you listen to me now.
‘Go on you young men and make a bit of dinner, and the wiser heads will have a bite to eat and sort the thing out. Between the lot of us we’ll decide what’s best. That’s the way it has to be done, and that’s the way it will be done.’
So Diamond and the Other Jack got the stove lit, and filled a pot with water, and they boiled a joint of bacon, and fried up some cabbage and the cold spuds left over from the day before. And they brought it in to the older men, who chewed at it, saying nothing. And when they were done, and every man had had his fill, old Ned spoke up again.
‘Pig. Listen here. The start and the end of this thing is with you. What you say goes, no question about that, but I know you want to hear from the rest of us before you call it. So. Listen to me now. I know the right thing to do, and there won’t be a better plan than this one. It’s been in my head a while now.
‘First things first. I don’t want to be the man to say I told you so, but I fucking did. I told you not to take Achill’s girl off him, but your pride got the better of you, and you went ahead and done it. You shamed that man in front of the whole squad, and he’s as good a man as we have. We need him, and that’s all there is to it. If the Brits see he’s back in action, we’ll stop them in their tracks. A few squaddies stretched on the road, and they’ll soon change their tune. We just have to work out how. What we can say to him, and give him, to get him back in action, and keep him sweet. Otherwise we really are finished. Twenty-five years of Irish blood and suffering down the jacksie.’
Pig was nodding his head like one of them wee dogs in the back of a car. ‘You’re right, Ned. You’re right. Every word of that is bang on. We’ve had no luck since he left the squad, and what’s worse, he was right what he said, the Brits and the peelers both were scared to come near us while he was around. And just like he said, here I am, crying rivers of tears for him to come back. Wasn’t I the fool. Proud and stubborn, just what that man said. God forgive me. I’d near say that man should be leading this squad, not me.
‘So here’s what we do. I’ll give him his woman back. And here’s what else. I’ll swear an oath in front of everybody that I never laid a finger on her. Yes. And I’ll give him my car. And wait till you hear. Wait now till you hear what else. He can take his pick from my sisters. My daughters, even, when they’re big enough. On top of that, his pick of hookers, any time he wants, I’ll bring them in from Dublin or anywhere, French girls, Swedish girls, whatever he likes, I’ll arrange it. The stuff I just ordered for the summer, all his. Decking. Garden furniture. A brand new barbecue, never been used once.
‘But that’s not the half of it. Wait now till you hear. He can have a cut of my business, the fuel and the livestock both, for the rest of his days, and for his seed and breed after him. And if London agrees to pull out this time round, if we get a united Ireland in my lifetime at all, I swear he’ll get his pick of the cushiest jobs going in Dublin. Top salary, beautiful digs, big fat pension, the works. And he won’t have to lift a fucking finger. Tell him. Tell him I’ll promise him all that.’
‘That’s the stuff,’ says Ned. ‘Good man yourself. Right. Waste no time. Mannix, his old teacher, is up visiting and he can go along, with Sid and that Zola Budd fella. Get moving. We haven’t a minute to waste.’
47
Sid and Budd and Mannix driv on over to Achill’s place. Black night as it was, they found him in the garden with the guitar on his knee, lilting a few old rebel songs. The Broad Black Brimmer and The Men Behind the Wire. Just humming and strumming, but they thought that a good sign.
‘There must be something badly wrong if ye two are here. And Mannix as well, if you don’t mind. I’ll tell you up front, my feelings haven’t changed, but the three of ye are welcome. Come on on in.’
He took them in to the good room. Pat got them drinks. He knew what. Stout for Budd, whisky and water for Mannix, and Diet Coke for Sid, who never touched a drop.
‘Get a fry going there, Pat.’ Pat put rashers on the big pan, long streaky ones, and thick slices of black pudding, and a whole string of the good sausages, and cracked a half dozen eggs in there too. He sprinkled on a few of his herbs, but nobody minded. When it was ready, he served it out onto plates he had warming in the oven, and Achill brought it in to the men. Pat followed behind with a pot of tea and a plate of toast, the red and brown sauce. They all got stuck in.
After they finished, Sid spoke up. ‘That was a great feed altogether. You’d get no better at Pig’s place, for all his bragging and blowing. But listen now till I tell you.
‘We’re fucked, Achill. That’s the message I was sent here to bring you. They have us beat. The SAS are on the job, just waiting to pile in. They’ll make out like we were about to launch an attack, and every one of us will get a bullet to the back of the head. London knows what’s going on. Belfast winks the eye. It’s all done on orders direct from the top. The Brits don’t want peace. They want victory. Surprise surprise.
‘There’s only one man can save us. You know what I’m saying. You, Achill. You’re the only man can dig us out of this hole. You were right, the Brits are shit-scared of you. They know what you’re capable of. They know what you’ve done in the past. You’re the only one they fear. So here we are, begging you to come back and join us. That’s it, plain and simple. If you can swallow your fury, wait till I tell you what Pig has in store for you.
‘No! Listen to me a minute, and then you can say your bit. Please. For me. Just listen.
‘First thing, you get your woman back. And here’s what else. He’ll swear an oath in front of everybody that he never laid a finger on her. Plus he’ll give you his car. And wait till you hear what else. You can take your pick from his sisters. His daughters, even, when they’re big enough. On top of that, your pick of hookers, any time you want. He’ll bring them in from Dublin or anywhere, French girls, Swedish girls, any kind you like, he’ll arrange it. The stuff he just ordered for the summer, all yours. Decking. Garden furniture. A brand-new barbecue, never been used once.
‘But that’s not the half of it. Wait now till you hear. You can have a cut of his business, the fuel and the livestock both, for the rest of your days, and for your seed and breed after you. And if London agrees to pull out, if we get a united Ireland while we’re all still going strong, he swears you’ll get your pick of the cushiest jobs going in Dublin. Top salary, beautiful digs, big fat pension, the works. And you won’t have to lift a finger. He’ll promise you all that.
‘But lookit. If you can’t get past your fury, and your hate for Pig, then I can respect that. But for fuck sake, do it for us. For the ordinary volunteers, who look up to you so much. You’re like a god to the young ones. Like a fucking film star. You could be the one who brings back an SAS scalp. Or half a dozen. The poncy Brit bastards in there think there’s nobody among us who’s their equal. Nobody who can match the fucking Who Dares Wins. Show them all they’re wrong. Show them what the Irish are made of.’
The rest of them nodded, and looked to Achill, finishing his tea. He got his wind up, and wiped his mouth. He said his piece there and then, no messing about. The words came flying out of him.
‘I’m not going to waste your time chit-chatting. I hate nothing more than a man who won’t tell you what he thinks to your face, so I’ll give you just what’s in my head, nothing more, nothing less.
‘Nobody can change my mind. The armed struggle is going nowhere. The man who jukes out of sight, and the man who fronts up every time, they both get treated as bad as each other in this here squad. And they both get the same reward at the end of it. Each one’s as dead as the next.
‘Let me tell you something. I’ve thought nothing for myself this last nine years. More. Like a mammy bird feeding crumbs to skinnies in the nest and going hungry herself. I gave up sleep, and saw friends killed, and got wounded myself, all for the sake of the pride of these men here, these Northern men.
‘But listen to what I’m going to tell you now. Here’s a question I never heard asked. What difference who runs a country, if people are looked after and free to get on with their business? What fucking difference? And then here I am among this unit, fighting for Pig’s brother’s pride, because the wife ran off. What the fuck am I at?
‘I’ve said it before. Ye all heard me. I planned and executed operations that have left Pig looking like the best OC there ever was. He gets the glory, and when I take out a security van or a cash machine, I hand the lot over to Pig. And I know he keeps the half of it, or more than the half, then shares out half of what’s left among the men, and sends the rest up the chain. And he knows I know. I told him to his face, you all heard me. But I ask no questions. Things are done the way they’re done. And right enough, he gave what he gave to us, each man got his share. I asked no more.
‘But then, out of all of us, and including the bastards who’ve done nothing for him, and including even the cunts who’ve schemed to bring him down, out of all the volunteers in this brigade, he comes to me, who’s done nothing this nine years only on his orders and for his glory, and he takes my precious wee girl off me. And away she goes.
‘Well fuck them both, is what I say. They deserve each other.
‘But tell me this, Sid. Here’s the real question. Why have the Irish to fight the Brits? Answer me that. Why is there any Provisional IRA at all, any Óglaigh na hÉireann? Because we love this country? Because Dog loves his woman? And is he the only man who does? Don’t the unionists and the loyalists love their country too? Don’t the Brits? Every decent man does. Every decent man loves his woman too, and I was no different. I fucking loved that wee girl, for all she might have wanted only glory from being round me. So he can’t fool me. He can’t fool me. I know him too well.
‘And damn sure he needs a bit of help now. While I was with you, the Brits never dared send the SAS in. Them boys stayed where they knew the ground, they hardly left the barracks, except when there was a quick job to do, in out. I faced them before, and I tell you this, they were lucky to get away in one piece. Now it’s a different game.
‘So I tell you this too, one final time. I won’t be taking on any Brit. Do you hear me? Them days are done. Not today, not tomorrow, not any time. I’m in the car and back home to my da in Castlebar. And wait till I tell you now. There’ll be a welcome there. Oh, there’ll be a welcome there all right. Big Achill O’Brien will be waiting with open arms for his son and heir. For I’ve done my bit. No man can say I haven’t done my bit.
‘And wait till I tell you what else. I have plenty of cars and women and fucking brand-new barbecues waiting for me in Castlebar too. You tell him that, in front of them all, so they know what kind of an OC they have, in case he’d try the like again. You tell him all that. And he wouldn’t even come and ask me to my face, the cunt.
‘The hell with him. The hell with his dirty bribes. He isn’t worth the steam off my piss. He could offer me ten times every penny he has, twenty times. He could offer to make me the richest man in Ireland. He could show me a car and a woman and a bag of notes for every blade of grass on his farm, in this whole fucking country, and he wouldn’t change my mind. Not until I see him suffer what I’m suffering.
‘His daughters? I wouldn’t take them if they were Cindy Crawford. If they were Marilyn Monroe. There’s plenty of fine women for me in Castlebar. Through the whole of the county Mayo. I could have my pick, if I wanted. I’ve had offers. I can have had a nice comfortable life, working with my da, any time I want. There for the taking.
&
nbsp; ‘Listen now to what I’m going to tell you.
‘There’s no pockets in a shroud. Do you hear me? You can be as rich as Croesus, and lose every red cent, or have it took off you, and you can always make it back again, if you’re smart, or just go out and take it, if you’re a hard man. But once you lose your life, you can’t get that back. You hear me? You can’t get that back. I’ll say it one more time. You can’t get it back.
‘I’ve always known that if I stayed with the Ra, sooner or later it would be the end of me. I’ve known it from the day I took the oath. But I stuck with it, for I knew I’d be remembered for what I’d done. I’d be a legend for what I’d done.
‘But lately I’ve had a bit of time to think, and now I can see there’s another side to that story. I don’t have to stay. I can go home, and live a long comfortable life. Do you see what I’m saying? Nobody will know or care who the fuck I am, but I’ll die of old age, the way a man should, surrounded by his family, and his wealth, in his own home place. And right now, at this time of life, that suits me just fine.
‘Death looks like glory to a young man. Get a few more years on you, and glory starts looking a lot like death. And I’ve seen a lot of death, and it’s nothing to write home about. Blood and bones and shite. It took that man Pig to wake me up to it. So I thank him for that. For showing me the truth of what I thought I was about. The great fool I was, fighting another man’s fight.
‘And here’s the last thing I have to say to you. I advise ye all to give serious consideration to doing the same. Away on back home. Forget the whole thing. There’s no path to a united Ireland that I can see, not in our lifetimes. There just isn’t. I wish it wasn’t true, but only a fool would tell you the reverse. The South doesn’t want it, and they won’t push for it. The Brits don’t want it, and even if they did, the unionists won’t allow it.
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