Original subtitles

- Dolours, are you drinking? - Jesus Christ, Marian.

You know, it's lemonade.

Some of the men are worried

you're sitting down with moderates.

What we accomplished had its limits.

How many bombs? And nobody's listening, nothing's changed.

So there would've been an order, right,

for what they did to my mother?

Who was the commander of the Belfast Brigade

in December 1972?

I'll never really know Gerry's motives.

Was it an act of conscience?

Or was he trying to save his own skin?

Anybody see you come in?

You're paranoid, Gerry.

One thing is for certain.

I didn't approve of his new friends.

How are you, Father?

Well, I've been better.

Do you suppose, Father, they'll have me killed for this?

Ah, you've managed to stay alive this long, child.

You're a survivor.

You know, some of the lads think my willingness to negotiate

is tantamount to treason.

Brendan.

Brendan's suffered a lot.

Aye.

Gerry, the IRA isn't achieving

what they think they're achieving.

On some level they must know this.

We have to stop our own people killing, Gerry.

Honestly, Father, all they're achieving at this stage

is killing my voters.

I can only apologize so many times.

This is gonna cost me the friendship

of some very dear people.

Peace doesn't come without cost.

That's it, then?

That's it.

Good luck to you, Alec.

God bless.

Gerry had to be careful indeed.

In that envelope was the first fragile seed of peace,

delivered through the Catholic Church

into the hands of Gerry's political rivals.

What is the purpose of your visit to the United States?

I'm here for peace talks.

I'm a negotiator.

I'm gonna need you to come with me.

Is it possible there's been a mistake?

I believe I got a waiver from, uh...

Well, from the President.

The peace process

would see Gerry Adams reach heights unimaginable

for a humble wee boy from Ballymurphy.

It would bring him to America.

Welcome to the United States, Mr. Adams.

Good luck with the peace talks.

And we are back with Participant H.

What year are we in?

I thought you could take us back to April 1994.

Oh, Lord.

How were you feeling back then?

Anxious.

I'd moved to Dublin. My marriage was done for.

I felt like I was itching out of my skin.

I'm so sorry, madam.

We refilled this prescription two weeks ago.

I know. I know, I'm sorry. That is my fault. I...

Oh, God, this is so embarrassing.

See, I was having a wee glass of wine, you know,

winding down for the evening, and I accidentally...

It was just a clumsy moment.

I knocked the bottle into the sink.

Anyway, I spoke to the doctor. He's a true angel.

And he, um... Well, he was quick to get it sorted, so...

I understand, madam.

It's just...

the new prescription, um...

The doctor's signature doesn't match.

It doesn't?

See, that's the one from today,

and that's from two weeks ago.

Oh. That's peculiar.

If there's a request like this,

we are required to check the signatures.

Of course.

I mean, you must. It's good that you do.

Since, you know, Valium's a controlled substance.

Absolutely. It's just, you know, I, uh...

I did see the doctor sign it

so what do you think happened here?

Madam, I thought maybe you could tell me.

I'm not some druggie in off the street, you know.

- I have a condition. - I didn't...

I would never forge a doctor's signature.

Okay, alright, but I still can't release...

That's outrageous. You know, this is outrageous.

Let me just speak with the chemist.

Would that be alright?

If you're gonna treat me like some bloody felon,

I'd just as soon find meself another chemist.

- What's up? - What are you doing?

- Nothing. - Well, I hate to tear you away

but you need to get up to Belfast.

There's a meeting at the Felon's club.

Looks like he's done it.

- Who? - Gerry.

There's gonna be some big announcement.

They're talking an end to the war.

Dotes, you got to get up here.

Living in the north,

you were always on the verge of the war ending.

It was our own special kind of purgatory.

If you had told me it was gonna drag on 20-odd years,

I don't know if I'd have picked up a gun

in the first place.

Nice hat.

Did you start fucking Boris Yeltsin, then?

Well, we can't all dress like Aunt Bridie.

At least she had blindness as an excuse.

I like this outfit.

I got it on sale, you cheeky wee shit.

Right, let's say a prayer and hope for some good news tonight.

So, what's on the table? Are the Brits gone, do we know?

We don't know.

There's only two ways a war can end:

one side surrenders or there's a negotiated settlement.

I know Gerry. He's not for surrender.

His ego couldn't bear it.

I don't know. I saw him on Larry King.

Apparently, he's some kind of fucking wee pacifist now.

He has to say that stuff, Da.

It's the only way they'll give him a visa.

I always knew your generation would be the ones to do it.

I just never thought it'd be someone like him.

Alright?

Alright, Mackers? How's the baby?

Up half the fuckin' night, Marian.

Shit.

Have you tried using a wee bit of scotch on the gums?

Dolours Price, it is an honor.

I'm fucking with you.

You don't actually have to kiss it.

Dotes, look.

Is that...?

Aye. It's Brendan Hughes.

He looks skinny.

He lives at the Divis flats now.

One, two.

Your attention.

I've a statement, direct from HQ.

"We believe

"that the opportunity for a just and lasting peace

"has been created..."

Where's Gerry? Should he not be here?

"IRA leadership has decided

"that as of midnight tonight,

"there will be a total cessation of military operations."

"In return,

"the British have promised

"Sinn Féin will be treated like any other political party.

"The British government has spelt out its commitment

"to dialogue with Sinn Féin

"and to addressing other matters,

"including cutting back on the British military presence."

Cutting back? They've been cutting it back.

What the fuck does that mean?

Are the Brits leaving or not?

"As peace talks continue,

"a crucial first step will be the process of decommissioning."

- Decommissioning? - Decommissioning, my bollocks!

You'll not be taking our fucking guns.

No deal 'til the Brits have gone.

- That's the position. - It's always been the position.

It's time to face facts, Jimmy. The war's not working.

- There's got to be concessions. - It's fucking surrender.

Gerry's fucked us, and you know that.

Where the fuck is Gerry?

30 years' struggle and we're back to square one.

We appeal to stay united as comrades.

Ah, fuck that.

Lads, calm down.

This is the first step in a long process.

Dark.

What do you think?

I think it's over.

He sold us out.

You know, I was six years old

when my father first told me he'd killed a man.

It was a bombing in Coventry.

Daddy.

I was horrified.

I remember him saying,

"No, no, no, no, no.

"Everything's gonna be okay,

"because we're at war, and...

"well, once we have a united Ireland,

"once we've achieved that glorious outcome,

"then it'll all have been worth it."

But what have we achieved?

You know, for what Gerry Adams has brought about,

what has my father ever achieved?

Other than death.

- Sláinte. - Sláinte.

- So, we got nothing. - We got fucking nothing.

I can't believe he sent his fucking houseboy to do it.

When has Gerry ever done anything himself?

I mean, what, robbed a bank, run a crew?

I don't think he's ever even fired a gun.

It was always gonna end this way:

him on the fucking mountaintop.

Fucking coward.

Well...

at least we can be British now.

Fuck off, you.

Do you ever get the feeling it was all for nothing?

Aye, that's grand. No bother, Frankie.

How did they take it?

The majority of people, it's fucking Christmas.

They're getting pished in the streets.

You know,

if you can pull this off,

it's a Nobel Prize for you.

You can put the wee statue on top of the toilet.

- It's a medal. - Huh?

The Nobel Prize, it's a medal they give you.

Right.

Well, then you can put it wherever you like.

Oh.

And what about our hardliners? How worried should we be?

There's a small group of individuals.

Small but vocal.

They're less enthused.

We're beefing up your security detail.

Just in case.

And what about Brendan Hughes?

Apparently, he walked out of the meeting,

said very little.

Sorry. I know you two were close.

Well, these are hard-headed people.

It's more or less what I expected.

Mr. Adams?

I am so sorry.

The VP's running a few minutes behind.

That is perfectly alright.

Yo-Yo Ma's giving a concert in the Rose Garden.

It's running a little long.

Well, if you, uh...

If you happen to see Mr. Ma, tell him I'm a very big fan.

Of course.

D'you suppose they'll have me put me down a hole for this?

It's not too late to back out.

I'll support whatever you wanna do.

Fuck 'em. They're guilty as sin.

Welcome to Ulster Talk Radio.

We are on the air with Helen McConville.

She is the daughter of a woman who vanished without a trace

nearly 25 years ago.

Her name was Jean McConville.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

Ten of them came to our flat and took away my mother.

And do you know who they were, Helen?

The men and women who took your mother.

I do. They were members of the Irish Republican Army.

And why have you decided

to finally break your silence now, Helen,

after so many years?

The IRA wanna talk about a just and lasting peace.

I couldn't bear it.

What's just about this?

Where is the justice for my mother?

I hope this wasn't a mistake.

Nah, you were brilliant, love. Proud of you.

Hello?

Are you serious, Helen? On the radio?

You might be okay getting a bullet.

Michael, no one's... No one's getting shot.

They can't do shit. There's a ceasefire on.

And if it breaks down?

These people are right on top of us.

I saw one of her kidnappers in McDonald's.

Did you say anything to them?

No, no, no. I kept my fucking mouth shut.

Helen, I've worked so hard to get past all this,

to get to a place where I feel, uh, normal.

Actually, Mickey, I'm gonna need to call you back.

Helen, get the fuck back inside.

Are you Helen McConville?

Yeah.

I heard you on the radio.

You were good.

Thanks.

My son, Eamon, he went missing too.

July of 1975.

Eamon Molloy was his name.

And I think there are more of us.

There's something on TV you need to see.

We are the families of the Disappeared.

Nine families.

Each of us has a loved one who was abducted, murdered,

and secretly buried by the IRA.

My mother, Jean McConville,

was taken on December 7th, 1972.

Everyone knows who carried out these orders.

We know it. Sinn Féin knows it.

The dogs in the street know it.

So I have a question for the leaders of Sinn Féin

and for Mr. Adams.

Where are the bodies buried?

Where is my mother?

Get me a meeting.

Mr. Adams.

Mr. Adams, what will this mean for the peace process?

Stand back, please.

- Will negotiations continue? - We're making steady progress.

I believe a deal is possible.

Right now, the important thing is that we all do our utmost

to bring comfort to these families.

- Now, if you'll excuse me... - That's enough now. Thank you.

You have a lovely home.

Scone?

My granny used to make scones like these

with currants in them.

Fly cemeteries, we used to call them.

I need to find my mother.

Yes.

A grave injustice was done.

I'm encouraging anyone who has any information

to come forward now.

Well, okay, but...

We'll work together on this.

I'm not one for politics.

That's understandable.

Can I ask, why'd you call my mother a tout?

Well, now, Helen, I never personally said that.

The IRA said it.

And I accept you may dispute that account

and reject that conclusion.

You should've told them to stop spreading lies.

You could've done something.

Your mother was taken away in...

December, was it? '72.

December 7th, 1972. That's right.

Helen, I was in prison in December.

I'd been interned.

You've my word,

I had absolutely nothing to do with this.

Mr. Adams, you lost your mother recently, yes?

I did. Well, a few years ago.

Do you go to her grave,

say a wee prayer?

That's right.

So you understand.

We need to bury her.

Otherwise, this will never end.

Look, I know what you've been through.

I don't think you do.

I mean, do you know why we never left Belfast?

Sure, I wanted to. So did Seamus.

But I just kept thinking: what if?

What if one day she comes back?

See, it's the not knowing, Mr. Adams.

That's the part that wrecks you.

Even when...

Even when a boy showed up at our flat,

even then, with my ma's purse and her wedding rings,

even then I held out hope.

That's what you did.

Helen...

I can accept that she's dead.

She's dead.

I cannot accept not having a body to grieve over.

I need to see her. I need this to end.

Helen, I am doing everything humanly possible

to find your mother's body.

The thing we have to remember is that this is a delicate moment.

Peace is a fragile thing.

All of us need to be very careful what we say.

I've been careful. I spent 20 years being careful.

I'm only saying it would be unfortunate,

for you, for me, for everybody,

if anything was to jeopardize the peace process.

You want me to shut up?

Find my mother.

An investigation is already underway.

You have my word.

We need to start an investigation.

Uh-huh.

A real one?

Shit.

How about you, Frankie?

Dolours Price. What about ye?

- Do you want a cup of tea? - Well, I'd love one.

Wow. How the other half lives.

- Eh? - So...

I suppose congratulations are in order.

I hear even the kneecapping has stopped.

- Mm-hm. And the six-packs. - Mm-hm.

And how's our Gerry, then?

Gerry fucking Adams.

He's solid.

Yeah? I hear he even has a book deal now.

And he's just clean as a whistle, that fella.

There's still a whiff of Semtex off you, though, Frank.

Well, nobody's perfect.

So, look, as it turns out,

Gerry... Gerry needs your help.

My help?

Why ever would he need my help?

We've started an investigation

into the Disappeared.

We wanna ask you about Jean McConville.

Who's Jean McConville?

Upstairs.

- Gerry's asking me about that? - Keep your knickers on.

We're asking all the rank and file.

Everyone who was around back then.

So, you've no idea?

About where the widow might be.

You know, I don't.

You can't think of anyone else who might be able to help?

As a matter of fact,

I know just who you should be talking to.

Okay. Who's that?

- Gerry fucking Adams. - Dolours.

We all need to be singing off the same hymn sheet here.

You know, what I can't understand

is how your boss,

my friend,

singlehandedly gave this country back to the English

and then convinced smart guys like you that you've won.

Alright.

Dolours, you've been talking around a fair bit.

You need to be more careful about what you say.

And here, I thought we'd given up the gun.

Well...

Most of them.

Anyway, I'll keep poking about.

You stay out of trouble, young lady.

Oh, Gerry made it very clear.

He said it to the press.

He said it to the lads.

He even said it to the victims.

You know, if Ireland is ever to be at peace,

there's a price to be paid, you know...

What was that?

Our silence.

They found a body.

Eamon Molloy.

He was another informant.

They say he was the one behind your arrest back in '73.

His wife, Kate,

she must be going through a tough time right now.

Has anybody checked in?

I'll pop round later.

What about Jean McConville?

There's rumors she's in Dundalk by the sea.

The landscape, it's all changed.

I can't go back to that family and tell them we can't find her.

Just keep digging.

Oh, look. We got a mention.

Oh, aye? What's he said?

That we drove him home that one time.

Look, do me a favor.

Let it go.

I have a question.

Did you not want to mention the bombing?

Excuse me?

The London job.

We planned it together.

I was sitting on the arm of your chair.

This is not the time or the place.

You recommended that I take a plane.

Remember?

You know, I actually regretted that.

Did I ever tell you?

It just really pissed everybody off.

Well, you and I clearly have very different recollections.

I did things for you.

Not just the bombing.

Because I thought they would mean something.

For what you've accomplished

I wouldn't have traded a good breakfast.

- Okay, Dolours. - I mean,

is this what it's all for?

What, a... a book launch and a big house?

Is... Is that why I went to prison for eight years?

Is that why my aunt lost both her fucking eyes?

- Sign it. - Dolours, that's enough now.

I want you to sign it.

Make it out to my Aunt Bridie.

Dolours...

is everything alright?

He won't sign my book.

This is a hard, hard time for a lot of people.

Change can be very traumatic.

If you're poorly, we have people you can talk to.

Fuck off.

"Change can be traumatic"?

He gave the fucking orders!

"You fucking architected my trauma."

That's what I should've said. Fuck's sake!

I mean, Jesus Christ, Dotes.

What were you even hoping to get out of that?

It pisses me off. He talks about peace and justice.

And he can't even tell the fucking truth.

Do you wanna have a tantrum or...

I want to have a fucking tantrum.

Fuck's sake.

Well...

some of us are actually strategizing

and thinking next steps.

If we wanna send a message,

we just need to be louder.

Some of the lads are getting organized.

There's a meeting this afternoon.

You should come with.

So, it's back to operations, is it?

Well...

talking gets us nowhere.

I love you,

but you're too fucking old for this.

Your call.

Good luck to you.

I've always been a sensitive person.

You know, looking back, I find that I was asked to act

contrary to my nature.

I followed my orders. I... I always obeyed.

I did as I was instructed.

Fuck.

Oh, fuck.

And it's only years later that you...

well, when you have time to sit back and ruminate,

that you ask yourself all the big questions

you never asked at the time.

Hello?

Aye, that's right.

Hold on a second.

They think they've found something.

Sorry, go ahead.

Yes.

Uh-huh.

Okay.

Hi, Michael.

Helen.

Jesus, is that Agnes?

- Alright, Archie? - Alright?

Seamus.

Are you still at the corpo, Archie?

Aye. I am.

Got meself a wee promotion.

That's good.

What about the day Mummy won the bingo?

- Youse remember that? - I don't remember that.

She did. Didn't she, Helen?

Mummy never won nothing.

You just don't remember.

Her tweedy coat,

I remember.

And her pin.

- I remember her wee pin. - Yeah.

On her lapel.

What color was it?

- Blue. - Aye.

Baby blue.

At least we got that all squared away.

I keep wondering...

if they hurt her, like.

Before it happened.

They said she was interrogated.

You'd admit to anything then.

Aye.

All this shite.

- This tout shite. - It's fucking lies.

Sure, I was with her every second of every day.

What could she even have told 'em? The Brits.

She never left the flat.

I'll tell youse one thing.

She was thinking of us all in the moments before she died.

I can feel her near here, I swear.

Helen.

- What is it? - Ah, it's a dog's skull.

So, that's it? It's over?

They dug up half the beach, Archie.

This whole fucking thing is just...

The Ra made a laughing stock of us then.

They're making a laughing stock of us now.

What the fuck are we supposed to do now, then?

I guess we wait.

When do you think you'll see your mummy again?

We're just keeping our fingers crossed

and praying hard for her coming back.

The Irish government

now promising immunity

to anyone coming forward with information

as to the whereabouts of the missing body...

Hello?

Mum?

Can I have some Frosties?

Jesus, Danny. You gave me a turn there.

I'm sorry.

It's alright. It's okay. Come here.

Well? What about you? Come on in.

- Thanks for seeing me. - It's no bother.

Come on through.

Sorry, the place is in a bit of a state.

- I'm doing some laundry. - You're alright.

D'you want a beer?

Aye. Why not?

Glass or bottle?

I'll have a glass.

I live in Dublin now, you know.

- How are you doing? - I'm alright, yeah.

You know, it's just this whole business, you know?

Peace and that.

Aye, it's a lot.

It's a fucking lot.

You know, I'm happy that the killing stopped.

It's just... Well, it's grand, it...

It's all grand, like. It's just...

Well, it's rotten.

It's rotten to the core, Dark.

You know,

I just keep going back there,

thinking about operations.

You been sleeping?

Now and then.

Most nights

I just lie there thinking, "What was it all for?"

It was for nothing, Dolours.

It was for fucking nothing. Not one death was worth it.

Thank you.

Finally someone with the fucking balls to say it.

You know, I don't even blame that sneaky wee cunt

for ending the war, right?

I just resent the whole devious way

it was all brought about, you know.

Like...

I ran this one operation, okay?

And it was... it was a balls-up fucking disaster, okay?

We'd got the idea somehow, let's put 20 bombs in the town.

Bloody Friday.

Right, Bloody Friday.

So, the bombs is set. We call in the warning.

I'm sitting in a car with the lads

and we start hearing the explosions, right?

Boom, boom, boom.

And the guys, they's all cheering.

But I'm sitting there and I'm thinking,

"They're too close together."

You know? "The explosions are too close together."

And I knew...

I knew a lot of people was gonna die that day.

Seven?

It was nine.

Nine.

And Gerry, he didn't plan it, right, but he was the OC.

He could've stopped every bullet from being fired.

And now he's saying he was never in the IRA.

- It's disgusting. - What it is is selfish, Dolours.

It's selfish.

Because it means you, me, we gotta carry all of it.

All the responsibility by ourselves.

Precisely.

He wasn't there, he didn't do it, so it was us.

All those deaths are on us.

I suppose Gerry was sitting there with his fucking...

his fucking feather duster, trying to stop us?

- Have you ever thought about... - What?

Going public.

You know, telling people what really happened.

No.

No. No, I couldn't.

Me neither.

There's this guy I know.

A guy I talk to, a guy I did time with.

You met him once, actually. Mackers, at the Felon's.

He's doing an oral history project.

It's confidential, like. All on tape.

And what do you tell him?

I tell him everything.

- Everything everything? - Aye.

It's like going to confession.

Well, except you can drink.

Fucking hell, Brendan.

- Is that safe? - It's totally safe.

No one hears it 'til you're dead.

That's the whole deal.

And do you talk about our Gerry, then?

I may have let the odd thing slip.

That must feel good.

It feels fucking fantastic.

And you're sure you weren't followed?

No, no. Very careful.

And can I get arrested for what I tell you?

You know, I'd rather not go back to prison.

You've got full protection.

We're a private project through Boston College.

The tapes are hidden away in a vault on campus.

No one's gonna hear 'em but me.

Until I'm dead, you mean?

That's right.

And you're still a young lady.

You're doing a very brave thing, Dolours.

You're giving people access to our actual history.

Future generations are going to know what really happened

because of you.

That's good.

That's nice.

What? What you got there?

Jesus!

The remains have been identified as a woman.

- Did she even wear a cardigan? - Nah. She didn't.

Was there a pin?

Was she wearing a pin?

A pin?

Like a...

Like a nappy pin.

It would be under her lapel.

It's alright.

We found her. We found her.

I knew she was on that beach.

He's really friendly, Ma.

Aye, he's quite handsome, but if you wanna be keeping him,

you can release some of the others.

Alright, folks?

We found a bullet lodged in the base of the skull.

And two more close to where she fell.

Well... we'd like to press charges,

but them boys that done it, they get immunity, yeah?

That was the deal.

Well, they would've,

had the IRA done what they said and led us to the body.

Your mother was found by a civilian.

It's an open murder case now.

It's been nigh on 31 years.

I can't bear to get my hopes up again.

How likely are you to find out who killed her?

Depends.

Forensics, these old cases, really won't do us much good.

Someone has to talk.

I was a driver.

I drove across the border.

But you know that. Um...

I was carrying explosives.

Arms.

I also ferried people.

I picked them up.

Sometimes they knew where they were going.

Sometimes not.

But it was my job to deliver them

to the men on the other side.

Where they would be executed.

And the families were never told.

You're talking about the Disappeared?

Yes.

Dolours...

Can I ask you a question?

Of course.

Are we gonna be talking about Jean McConville?