Bold Fenian Men
Chapter Thirty-Three
"Right. Let’s see the new recruits for the asylum." Padraig clapped his hands and downed his drink. "You seen Roisin about?" he asked Sheenagh, Roisin's friend who also worked behind the bar.
"She's supposed to be working but she told me she wasn't coming in." Sheenagh said. She always seemed to mumble around Padraig. Roisin said that she was nervous of him. Padraig had laughed, and now loved winding her up by speaking to her whenever he had the slightest opportunity.
"Wee skiver." Padraig winked, before dandering over to where Cillian was standing, speaking to one of the new lads.
"Here, Padraig!" Cillian said as Padraig caught up. "You remember this one?"
"What do they call you?" Padraig asked the young man, who looked about seventeen years of age.
"Turlough O'Donohue." Padraig grinned.
"Well, if it isn’t the wee thirteen year old that saved my ass all those years ago?" Padraig had only been the Commanding Officer of the Belfast Brigade for a week when he'd been chased by the police, and a young Turlough had ridden his bicycle right into the group of policeman when he saw them chasing Padraig, an IRA comrade of his father's. The police had, as Padraig said, gone down like dominoes and Padraig had managed to escape.
"So how many of you are there?" Cillian asked Turlough.
"There's five of us lads, and there's a wee girl as well."
"A wee girl?" Padraig asked, slightly surprised. It wasn't uncommon for girls to join the IRA through the woman's section, Cumann na mBan, but it was a lot rarer than young men joining up.
"Aye. She's a young little thing, as well. Don't know why she's joining. She looks as though she belongs in a kitchen." Padraig chuckled.
"Ah, Turlough. Don’t you be so sexist. She can cook for us." Turlough laughed.
"I wouldn't tell her that. She looks like a feisty girl." Padraig grinned. He had experience of that, which was for sure.
"Right, are we getting this over and done with, then?" he asked.
A few minutes later, the six new to-be Volunteers were standing in a line in front of Padraig. Padraig looked closely at the young girl, but he couldn't see her face. She was looking at the ground, and some of her hair was covering her face.
She was the last to be sworn in. She moved over and stood in front of Padraig, and then she looked up, and Padraig's heart skipped several beats.
"Roisin!" Padraig half-yelled. She smiled softly.
"Don't say anything, Padraig. Just get on with it." she said firmly.
"No, Roisin." Padraig said, still trying to shake the shock from his body. "Not you. No way. Over my cold, dead body. With extra coldness and deadness."
"Padraig, just because I'm your girlfriend you can’t say I can’t join. Sure you'd have let me if I wasn't your girlfriend."
"No I would not. I'm not having you shooting and getting shot at and going about with bombs and getting arrested and God knows what else."
"Padraig," Roisin said simply. "Snap out of it. You can’t stop me from loving my country, can you?"
"I'll not let you join. What if it was me that put the silly idea in your head? If you got hurt or worse I'd never forgive myself."
"Padraig, please." Roisin looked at Padraig long and hard, and Padraig sighed, a million and one emotions running through him.
"Right. Fine." he eventually said, slightly coldly because it was the only way he could deal with all the new emotions. He handed an expressionless Roisin the green, white and orange flag of the Irish Republic, the flag they fought and died for, and she stood to attention and held it, watching Padraig with firm brown eyes.
"OK." Padraig's mouth was dry, but in his opinion if she wanted a taste of the hard life she could get it. He wondered how long she'd last. He went on like he had done to the others. "If you're sure that this is the path you want to take, and you want to become a soldier of the Republic, then you must repeat the oath you have been taught in the training process." Roisin smiled and looked at him, and Padraig simply whispered, "Roisin, please." But Roisin didn't reply. Instead, she held the tricolour and then spoke loudly and clearly.
"I solemnly swear, that to the best of my ability, I will defend the nation of Ireland as a whole, and its people, and its culture, and I will fight for the unification of Ireland through any means necessary. And I will do this until the country is united and we live in a country that we may call our own, or until death releases me from my duty."
Padraig gently took the tricolour from her, and then he shook her hand and whispered:
"All right. Volunteer Roisin Quinn. Congratulations." Padraig's eyes suddenly filled with tears. Roisin looked shocked for the split second that she saw, but before she could say anything, Padraig had turned on his heel and hurried out.
"She's supposed to be working but she told me she wasn't coming in." Sheenagh said. She always seemed to mumble around Padraig. Roisin said that she was nervous of him. Padraig had laughed, and now loved winding her up by speaking to her whenever he had the slightest opportunity.
"Wee skiver." Padraig winked, before dandering over to where Cillian was standing, speaking to one of the new lads.
"Here, Padraig!" Cillian said as Padraig caught up. "You remember this one?"
"What do they call you?" Padraig asked the young man, who looked about seventeen years of age.
"Turlough O'Donohue." Padraig grinned.
"Well, if it isn’t the wee thirteen year old that saved my ass all those years ago?" Padraig had only been the Commanding Officer of the Belfast Brigade for a week when he'd been chased by the police, and a young Turlough had ridden his bicycle right into the group of policeman when he saw them chasing Padraig, an IRA comrade of his father's. The police had, as Padraig said, gone down like dominoes and Padraig had managed to escape.
"So how many of you are there?" Cillian asked Turlough.
"There's five of us lads, and there's a wee girl as well."
"A wee girl?" Padraig asked, slightly surprised. It wasn't uncommon for girls to join the IRA through the woman's section, Cumann na mBan, but it was a lot rarer than young men joining up.
"Aye. She's a young little thing, as well. Don't know why she's joining. She looks as though she belongs in a kitchen." Padraig chuckled.
"Ah, Turlough. Don’t you be so sexist. She can cook for us." Turlough laughed.
"I wouldn't tell her that. She looks like a feisty girl." Padraig grinned. He had experience of that, which was for sure.
"Right, are we getting this over and done with, then?" he asked.
A few minutes later, the six new to-be Volunteers were standing in a line in front of Padraig. Padraig looked closely at the young girl, but he couldn't see her face. She was looking at the ground, and some of her hair was covering her face.
She was the last to be sworn in. She moved over and stood in front of Padraig, and then she looked up, and Padraig's heart skipped several beats.
"Roisin!" Padraig half-yelled. She smiled softly.
"Don't say anything, Padraig. Just get on with it." she said firmly.
"No, Roisin." Padraig said, still trying to shake the shock from his body. "Not you. No way. Over my cold, dead body. With extra coldness and deadness."
"Padraig, just because I'm your girlfriend you can’t say I can’t join. Sure you'd have let me if I wasn't your girlfriend."
"No I would not. I'm not having you shooting and getting shot at and going about with bombs and getting arrested and God knows what else."
"Padraig," Roisin said simply. "Snap out of it. You can’t stop me from loving my country, can you?"
"I'll not let you join. What if it was me that put the silly idea in your head? If you got hurt or worse I'd never forgive myself."
"Padraig, please." Roisin looked at Padraig long and hard, and Padraig sighed, a million and one emotions running through him.
"Right. Fine." he eventually said, slightly coldly because it was the only way he could deal with all the new emotions. He handed an expressionless Roisin the green, white and orange flag of the Irish Republic, the flag they fought and died for, and she stood to attention and held it, watching Padraig with firm brown eyes.
"OK." Padraig's mouth was dry, but in his opinion if she wanted a taste of the hard life she could get it. He wondered how long she'd last. He went on like he had done to the others. "If you're sure that this is the path you want to take, and you want to become a soldier of the Republic, then you must repeat the oath you have been taught in the training process." Roisin smiled and looked at him, and Padraig simply whispered, "Roisin, please." But Roisin didn't reply. Instead, she held the tricolour and then spoke loudly and clearly.
"I solemnly swear, that to the best of my ability, I will defend the nation of Ireland as a whole, and its people, and its culture, and I will fight for the unification of Ireland through any means necessary. And I will do this until the country is united and we live in a country that we may call our own, or until death releases me from my duty."
Padraig gently took the tricolour from her, and then he shook her hand and whispered:
"All right. Volunteer Roisin Quinn. Congratulations." Padraig's eyes suddenly filled with tears. Roisin looked shocked for the split second that she saw, but before she could say anything, Padraig had turned on his heel and hurried out.