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Those who ‘say nothing’

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If you knew the truth about someone’s murder but it could get others — or yourself — killed, what would you do? More to the point, if you belonged to a group responsible for that murder, what would you do? Would you be able to live with what you know and what you have done?

Patrick Radden Keefe, in his 2018 book, Say Nothing, recounts the sudden disappearance of a mother during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. This compelling account focuses on the later decades (1960s-1989) of the Irish Republican Army, especially the Provisional IRA or the Provos. Gerry Adams was the young, revolutionary leader of the Provos, a group that broke off from the established IRA.

A nine-part series, also called “Say Nothing,” was released on Hulu some months back. It closely follows the book in describing the history and personalities involved. In groups like these, omerta guides behavior. One must be loyal to the cause and remain silent about the deeds. If you’ve seen “The Godfather,” you’ll recognize some similarities. In such societies, there are proscriptive codes of honor that justify nefarious activity. The group has sharp delineations for who belongs and who doesn’t, who is a friend and who is an enemy. Betraying the code means death.

It looked as if the world would never know who killed Jean McConville when she was snatched from her Belfast home in 1972 on suspicion of traitorous activity. A widow, Jean’s disappearance orphaned her vast brood of children, abandoning them to various institutions where several of the children suffered emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Killing Mrs. McConville was a shameful deed, on par with The Disappeared of Latin America, acts that have been declared war crimes.

Some people can take such secrets to the grave, and some people find it difficult to live with what they’ve done. Boston College had connections to people in Ireland and knew that some folks involved in the Troubles might be willing to talk about their activity on condition of anonymity. Thus was born the Belfast Project, an oral history undertaking that invited members from both sides of the conflict. The Belfast Project is described in the book and figures into the series, weaving the story of Jean McConville and the Provos together. The series focuses on the testimonies of two Provos, Dolours Price and Brendan Hughes.

As storytelling, this series is excellent, especially if you want an efficient way to learn about that period of history. The Provos were young and idealistic and “the cause” gave hope and meaning to their lives. They swore oaths of loyalty and secrecy. They were willing to die in the fight for a unified Ireland. They were certain they were on the side of right.

Eventually Adams, Hughes, and Price realized that their campaign of bombings accomplished little. In their quest for victory, they destroyed people’s homes and livelihoods. They killed innocent people, including people who were sympathetic to their cause.

There’s more to the story of the Belfast Project, but for now, it’s enough to consider how easily we can be subsumed by a person or an ideology and forget to listen to the telltale signs and questions that tickle at the back of our mind. Of the four main characters in the series, only Dolours’ sister, Marian Price, continued to adhere to the principles of the Provos decades later. Her identity was so bound up with the cause that it defined her.

It is human nature to want to belong to something beyond ourselves. It is also human nature to reach a point where the body needs to shed what it has carried, to tell dark secrets, to cleanse our consciences. One senses that Brendan Hughes and Dolours Price felt clean after unburdening themselves.

For his part, Gerry Adams has never admitted to being a member of the IRA, which is a neat trick. Technically, he’s correct since he was really a part of the Provisional IRA. It appears that he’s chosen to take his secrets to the grave.

At least seven other people, along with Jean McConville, “disappeared” during the Troubles. After years of searching, her body was found, but the bodies of four others are still missing.

I tell you these things because the book and the series are well worth your time. I tell you these things because it’s never been more important to be alert to that which demands blind obedience and moral blindness.

Joan Zwagerman loves stories of courage, intrigue and redemption.

The Skinny, Joan Zwagerman

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