Introduction
Patrick Keefe's "Say Nothing" is a gripping account of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, focusing on the disappearance of Jean McConville and the key figures involved in the conflict. This book provides a haunting look at the violence, secrecy, and lasting impact of the decades-long struggle between Irish republicans and British loyalists.
The Disappearance of Jean McConville
On a cold December night in 1972, Jean McConville's life changed forever. A 38-year-old widow and mother of ten, Jean was living in a rundown Belfast housing estate when a group of men and women came to her door. Some wore masks, while others were recognizable as neighbors. They told Jean she needed to come with them, assuring her children she'd be back soon.
Jean never returned home.
For the next three decades, her children would search for answers about their mother's fate. Little did they know that Jean had become entangled in the brutal conflict known as the Troubles, which had engulfed Northern Ireland three years earlier.
The Roots of the Conflict
To understand Jean's disappearance, we must first examine the origins of the Troubles. In the late 1960s, Northern Ireland's Catholic population faced widespread discrimination and institutional racism. Despite making up about half of the region's population, Catholics were routinely excluded from good jobs, decent housing, the police force, and political power.
Many Catholics had already emigrated in search of better opportunities. However, a growing number of young Catholics in Northern Ireland were determined to improve their situation through more drastic means. They saw violence as the only way to achieve their goals and push the British out of Ireland.
Key Figures in the IRA
Three individuals who would play crucial roles in the conflict were Gerry Adams and the sisters Dolours and Marian Price. These young Catholics joined the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the early 1970s, driven by a desire to unite Ireland and end British rule in Northern Ireland.
The Price sisters came from a family with a strong republican tradition. Their aunt had been severely injured while making explosives for the cause. At just 21 and 18 years old, Dolours and Marian joined the IRA, ready to continue the family's legacy of self-sacrifice for Irish republicanism.
Gerry Adams, though lacking formal education beyond high school, quickly became a key strategist and intellectual force within the IRA. His intelligence and eloquence allowed him to grasp the broader political context of their armed struggle. Adams would become one of the most important decision-makers in the organization, though he has always denied being a member of the IRA.
The IRA's Tactics: Car Bombs and Terror
As the conflict intensified, the IRA sought ways to provoke the British government into withdrawing from Ireland. They found a devastating tool in the form of car bombs. These devices offered two significant advantages: they could carry more explosives than smaller bombs, and they were easily concealed as ordinary vehicles parked on the street.
One of the most notorious attacks using car bombs occurred on July 21, 1972, a day that would become known as Bloody Friday. The IRA detonated around 20 bombs throughout Belfast, targeting shopping centers, train depots, and bus stations. Although the IRA claimed they had warned authorities to evacuate the areas, the scale of the attack overwhelmed emergency services. Nine people were killed, including a young teenager, and 130 were injured.
The aftermath of Bloody Friday left many in the IRA feeling conflicted. While they had succeeded in causing widespread destruction, they also felt a sense of unfairness. The people of Northern Ireland seemed to be the only ones suffering, while the British mainland remained untouched by the violence.
The Old Bailey Bombings
In response to this perceived imbalance, the IRA leadership, including Gerry Adams, supported a plan to bring the conflict to England's doorstep. Dolours Price took charge of this operation, which would target key British institutions in London.
On March 8, 1973, Dolours, her sister Marian, and several others drove car bombs to London and parked them outside four important locations: the Old Bailey courts, military offices near Whitehall, the Ministry of Agriculture, and New Scotland Yard. Although two of the bombs were discovered and defused, the remaining two exploded as planned, injuring 250 people.
The Price sisters were arrested at Heathrow Airport on the same day, marking the beginning of a high-stakes confrontation between the young IRA members and the British government.
The Price Sisters' Hunger Strike
Following their arrest, Marian and Dolours Price were quickly tried and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The British government decided to incarcerate them in England rather than Northern Ireland, where they had committed their crimes.
Determined to be transferred back to a Northern Irish prison, the Price sisters embarked on a hunger strike. As their health rapidly deteriorated, the British government faced a dilemma. They feared that if the sisters died, they would become martyrs for the republican cause, potentially leading to violent reprisals from the IRA and increased support for the movement.
Instead of giving in to the sisters' demands, the British government resorted to force-feeding. This controversial practice involved holding the women down, inserting a tube into their stomachs, and pouring food into them. The sisters found the process painful, degrading, and terrifying. The force-feeding also took a toll on their physical health, causing loose and decaying teeth from biting down on the wooden bit used to keep their mouths open.
The force-feeding of the Price sisters sparked outrage, particularly among British feminists who likened the practice to rape and drew parallels to the treatment of suffragettes decades earlier.
Eventually, the Price sisters' resistance became so violent that doctors recommended stopping the force-feeding to prevent serious harm. As the women continued to lose weight rapidly and proclaimed their willingness to die for Ireland, the British government finally relented. In 1975, they transferred the sisters back to Northern Ireland to complete their sentences.
The Truth About Jean McConville's Fate
While the Price sisters were making headlines, the children of Jean McConville continued their desperate search for answers about their mother's disappearance. It wasn't until years after the Troubles ended that the truth finally came to light.
As part of a project for Boston College, several former IRA members were interviewed about their experiences during the conflict. Among them were Dolours Price and Brendan Hughes, a close associate of Gerry Adams. Their testimonies revealed the shocking truth about Jean McConville's fate.
According to their accounts, Jean had been identified as an informer for the British army. The IRA had discovered a military radio in her kitchen, which she admitted to using to pass information to the British. Initially, she was given a warning and a beating. However, when another radio was found in her possession just a week later, the IRA leadership decided to make an example of her.
The group's leaders, including Gerry Adams, discussed what to do with Jean. Some suggested leaving her body on a Belfast street as a warning to other potential informants. However, Adams argued that this could backfire, given that Jean was a widow and mother of ten children. He feared that openly acknowledging the IRA's role in her death could turn the Catholic community against them.
Instead, Adams proposed that Jean should "disappear" permanently, making it impossible for anyone to prove the IRA's involvement in her death.
Dolours Price admitted in her taped testimony that she was one of the people who drove Jean McConville to the place of her execution. Along with two others, including her sister Marian, they took Jean to a freshly dug grave and shot her in the back of the head.
For 31 years, Jean's body remained hidden. It wasn't until 2003 that her remains were finally discovered, allowing her children to give their mother a proper burial at last.
Gerry Adams: Peacemaker or Fugitive from Justice?
Despite the allegations of his involvement in Jean McConville's murder, Gerry Adams was never held accountable for her death. Instead, he emerged as a key figure in the peace process that would eventually bring an end to the Troubles.
On April 10, 1998, Adams, then the leader of Sinn Féin (the political wing of the IRA), signed the Good Friday Agreement. This historic accord paved the way for a permanent ceasefire by the IRA. In exchange, British Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed to grant Northern Ireland a fully devolved parliament and a softer border with the Republic of Ireland. Blair also promised that if a majority in Northern Ireland expressed a clear wish to join the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain would not stand in their way.
Following the signing of the agreement, Adams was hailed by many as a visionary peacemaker. However, his role in the peace process was viewed very differently by Jean McConville's family and former IRA fighters like Dolours and Marian Price.
For Jean's children, Adams represented a man who had escaped justice for their mother's murder. They campaigned tirelessly for him to be brought to account. In April 2014, Adams was finally arrested in connection with Jean's killing but was released without charge four days later. To this day, he has never been prosecuted for her death.
Many IRA paramilitaries, including Brendan Hughes and the Price sisters, felt betrayed by Adams and the Good Friday Agreement. They believed that by agreeing to a ceasefire, Adams had abandoned the IRA's primary goal of a united Ireland. Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom, leading some to joke that "GFA" stood for "Got Fuck All" instead of "Good Friday Agreement."
Dolours Price, in particular, struggled to reconcile the violent acts she had committed, such as Jean McConville's murder and the London bombings, with the fact that the IRA had not achieved its ultimate aim. The disillusionment with Gerry Adams ran deep within IRA circles.
To this day, Adams maintains that he was never a member of the IRA. While he played a crucial role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, many argue that this peace came at the cost of justice for victims like Jean McConville and their families.
The Lasting Impact of the Troubles
The story of Jean McConville and the key figures involved in her disappearance illustrates the complex and devastating nature of the Northern Ireland conflict. The Troubles claimed the lives of approximately 3,500 people over three decades, leaving countless families shattered and communities divided.
The Good Friday Agreement brought an end to the widespread violence, but it did not heal all wounds or resolve all issues. Many victims and their families, like the McConvilles, still seek justice and closure. The peace process, while necessary, has left some feeling that those responsible for atrocities have escaped accountability.
The conflict's legacy continues to shape Northern Ireland's politics and society. While the region has made significant progress since the dark days of the Troubles, tensions between communities persist. The question of Northern Ireland's constitutional status remains a point of contention, particularly in light of recent developments such as Brexit.
The Boston College Tapes Controversy
The interviews conducted with former IRA members as part of the Boston College project played a crucial role in uncovering the truth about Jean McConville's fate. However, the existence of these tapes also sparked controversy and legal battles.
The project, known as the Belfast Project, was intended to create an oral history of the Troubles from the perspective of those directly involved. Participants were promised that their interviews would remain confidential until after their deaths. However, when British authorities learned of the tapes' existence, they sought access to them as part of their investigations into unsolved crimes from the conflict.
This led to a protracted legal battle between Boston College, the researchers involved in the project, and the British government. The controversy raised important questions about academic freedom, the ethics of oral history projects, and the balance between seeking justice for past crimes and maintaining the confidentiality promised to interview subjects.
Ultimately, some of the tapes were handed over to the authorities, leading to arrests and renewed investigations into Troubles-era crimes. However, the controversy also had a chilling effect on similar oral history projects and raised concerns about the ability to conduct sensitive research on recent conflicts.
The Role of Memory and Silence
The title of Keefe's book, "Say Nothing," refers to a common phrase used during the Troubles, emphasizing the culture of silence and secrecy that pervaded Northern Ireland during the conflict. This code of silence protected those involved in paramilitary activities but also prevented many families from learning the truth about what happened to their loved ones.
The book explores how memory, both individual and collective, shapes our understanding of historical events. It highlights the challenges of uncovering the truth when those involved are bound by loyalty, fear, or a desire to move on from the past.
The story of Jean McConville and the conflicting narratives surrounding her disappearance demonstrate how different versions of the truth can coexist, depending on one's perspective and allegiances. It also shows how the passage of time can both obscure and reveal the truth, as some individuals choose to break their silence while others take their secrets to the grave.
The Price Sisters' Later Years
The lives of Dolours and Marian Price following their release from prison offer a stark illustration of the lasting impact of the conflict on those who participated in it.
After serving their sentences, both sisters struggled to adjust to life outside prison and to reconcile their past actions with the changing political landscape. Dolours, in particular, became increasingly disillusioned with the peace process and Gerry Adams' leadership. Her decision to participate in the Boston College project and speak about her involvement in Jean McConville's murder was, in part, motivated by this disillusionment.
Marian Price continued to be involved in dissident republican activities, leading to her re-arrest and imprisonment in 2011. Her case became a cause célèbre for those who believed that the peace process had failed to address the underlying issues of the conflict.
The sisters' experiences highlight the challenges faced by former combatants in post-conflict societies, including the struggle to reintegrate into civilian life and the psychological toll of their past actions.
Reflections on Justice and Reconciliation
Keefe's book raises important questions about the nature of justice and reconciliation in the aftermath of prolonged conflict. The Good Friday Agreement brought peace to Northern Ireland, but it also involved difficult compromises, including the early release of many prisoners convicted of Troubles-related offenses.
For some, like the McConville family, these compromises came at too high a cost, leaving them feeling that justice had been sacrificed for the sake of peace. Others argue that such compromises were necessary to end the cycle of violence and move towards a more stable future.
The book also explores the challenges of dealing with the legacy of the past in a divided society. While some advocate for a "truth and reconciliation" process similar to that used in South Africa after apartheid, others fear that digging up the past could reignite old tensions and hinder progress.
Conclusion
"Say Nothing" is a powerful exploration of the human cost of political violence and the complexities of conflict resolution. Through the lens of Jean McConville's disappearance and the lives of key IRA figures, Patrick Keefe provides a nuanced and deeply affecting account of the Troubles and their lasting impact on Northern Ireland.
The book serves as a reminder of the importance of confronting difficult truths about the past while also highlighting the challenges of doing so in a society still grappling with the legacy of conflict. It raises important questions about the balance between justice and peace, the role of memory in shaping our understanding of history, and the possibility of reconciliation in the face of deep-seated divisions.
Ultimately, "Say Nothing" is a testament to the enduring power of the past to shape the present and future. It challenges readers to consider the complexities of conflict, the human capacity for both violence and compassion, and the difficult choices faced by individuals and societies in the pursuit of peace and justice.
As Northern Ireland continues to navigate its post-conflict reality, the stories of Jean McConville, the Price sisters, Gerry Adams, and countless others serve as a powerful reminder of the human cost of political violence and the ongoing struggle to build a lasting peace.