Bold Fenian Men
Chapter Thirteen
Padraig sat silently in the armchair, and he looked at the tired face of his mother again.
"You don't have to constantly sit here with me, you know." he said quietly. "You look shattered. You should go to bed."
"Perhaps I want to look after my son a while? You've always been too independent, Padraig."
"Thanks for not letting on to Cillian I was here." Padraig said. "I feel awful but I know if he finds out I'm here then he'll come down, and I don't want to think about the others right now. I know they'll be worrying but I just can’t face going back yet."
"I'm not surprised." Padraig's mother, Breige, watched her youngest son with sad eyes. "Oh, Padraig. When are you going to call it a day, eh?"
"Never." Padraig said firmly. "I'll never turn my back on my country."
"It's destroying you, Padraig. Everytime something like this happens you take longer and longer to come to terms with it. I don’t think I can watch my son go through this."
"Sure my brothers are in as well. You never give them this lecture."
"They're not like you, though, Padraig. You're not small fry. You're a commanding officer. There are people trying to kill you, and just you alone. At least your brothers are just regular Volunteers."
"It's not that bad, Ma." Padraig managed a soft chuckle.
"I take it you haven’t seen the newspaper about Gearoid, then?"
"I saw a bit of it. Pass it here."
"Are you sure you want to read it?"
"I'm fine, Ma. Honestly. Nothing could surprise me at the moment." Breige rummaged around at the side of the sofa and then leaned over and handed her young son the newspaper from the day after Gearoid died.
"I don’t even know why we kept it." she said softly.
"For me." Padraig said, looking at the picture of Gearoid on the front page. He didn’t feel that stabbing pain anymore. Just a sort of numbness.
"Police still do not have any lead on who committed Belfast's latest murder. This time the victim was eighteen-year-old Gearoid McMahon, from the Lower Falls area in Belfast. Early this morning the IRA released a statement claiming him as a member.
"McMahon was shot and killed in a disturbance just off the Falls Road yesterday, and was found dead when police arrived on the scene. Just after the IRA released the statement claiming him as a member the UVF released a statement claiming responsibility for McMahon's death:
"The UVF has recognised that an IRA member was killed yesterday and that UVF members were involved in the same incident. The UVF hereby claims responsibility for the death of the IRA man and with full knowledge of the UVF Leadership wishes to express the point that McMahon was killed in an attempted assassination of the Belfast Commander Padraig Caraher. We wish to express that we have teams on standby twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, ready to kill Caraher whenever we get the chance."
The IRA had no comment on the UVF's statement."
Padraig smiled thinly.
"Attempted assassination, eh? Didn’t do a very good job, did they? I'm still here."
"Please, Padraig, I'm begging you. Please don’t carry on. You'll be killed and I can’t loose you." Breige's eyes were filled with tears as she watched her son's young face, already shadowed with stress and worry.
"I can’t, Ma. I'll head back tomorrow. I can’t turn my back on my country. I just can’t do it."
"Padraig, please!"
"Ma, no! I have to. I can’t just disappear. I have to get them back for Gearoid's murder."
"Oh, please, Padraig,"
"You think I'll let them just murder Gearoid?"
"I don’t like to think about my youngest child murdering people."
vI don’t murder people, Ma. I fight for my country. There's a different. I'm not letting them murder Gearoid. If they get away with it once, then they'll keep on doing it. And I love my men like my own brothers. I'm not having them be treated like that. I've shown time and time again that you don’t mess with Padraig Caraher's crew. "
"You don't have to constantly sit here with me, you know." he said quietly. "You look shattered. You should go to bed."
"Perhaps I want to look after my son a while? You've always been too independent, Padraig."
"Thanks for not letting on to Cillian I was here." Padraig said. "I feel awful but I know if he finds out I'm here then he'll come down, and I don't want to think about the others right now. I know they'll be worrying but I just can’t face going back yet."
"I'm not surprised." Padraig's mother, Breige, watched her youngest son with sad eyes. "Oh, Padraig. When are you going to call it a day, eh?"
"Never." Padraig said firmly. "I'll never turn my back on my country."
"It's destroying you, Padraig. Everytime something like this happens you take longer and longer to come to terms with it. I don’t think I can watch my son go through this."
"Sure my brothers are in as well. You never give them this lecture."
"They're not like you, though, Padraig. You're not small fry. You're a commanding officer. There are people trying to kill you, and just you alone. At least your brothers are just regular Volunteers."
"It's not that bad, Ma." Padraig managed a soft chuckle.
"I take it you haven’t seen the newspaper about Gearoid, then?"
"I saw a bit of it. Pass it here."
"Are you sure you want to read it?"
"I'm fine, Ma. Honestly. Nothing could surprise me at the moment." Breige rummaged around at the side of the sofa and then leaned over and handed her young son the newspaper from the day after Gearoid died.
"I don’t even know why we kept it." she said softly.
"For me." Padraig said, looking at the picture of Gearoid on the front page. He didn’t feel that stabbing pain anymore. Just a sort of numbness.
"Police still do not have any lead on who committed Belfast's latest murder. This time the victim was eighteen-year-old Gearoid McMahon, from the Lower Falls area in Belfast. Early this morning the IRA released a statement claiming him as a member.
"McMahon was shot and killed in a disturbance just off the Falls Road yesterday, and was found dead when police arrived on the scene. Just after the IRA released the statement claiming him as a member the UVF released a statement claiming responsibility for McMahon's death:
"The UVF has recognised that an IRA member was killed yesterday and that UVF members were involved in the same incident. The UVF hereby claims responsibility for the death of the IRA man and with full knowledge of the UVF Leadership wishes to express the point that McMahon was killed in an attempted assassination of the Belfast Commander Padraig Caraher. We wish to express that we have teams on standby twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, ready to kill Caraher whenever we get the chance."
The IRA had no comment on the UVF's statement."
Padraig smiled thinly.
"Attempted assassination, eh? Didn’t do a very good job, did they? I'm still here."
"Please, Padraig, I'm begging you. Please don’t carry on. You'll be killed and I can’t loose you." Breige's eyes were filled with tears as she watched her son's young face, already shadowed with stress and worry.
"I can’t, Ma. I'll head back tomorrow. I can’t turn my back on my country. I just can’t do it."
"Padraig, please!"
"Ma, no! I have to. I can’t just disappear. I have to get them back for Gearoid's murder."
"Oh, please, Padraig,"
"You think I'll let them just murder Gearoid?"
"I don’t like to think about my youngest child murdering people."
vI don’t murder people, Ma. I fight for my country. There's a different. I'm not letting them murder Gearoid. If they get away with it once, then they'll keep on doing it. And I love my men like my own brothers. I'm not having them be treated like that. I've shown time and time again that you don’t mess with Padraig Caraher's crew. "