Where Grieving Begins, livre ebook

An enduring peace is only possible through a genuine understanding of the past. To understand the Troubles is to set them in the context of the historical root causes of the conflict, in order to grapple with its pain and its horrors; to grieve and then, perhaps, to heal.

This is the memoir of Patrick Magee, the man who planted the 1984 Brighton bomb – an attempt by the Provisional IRA to kill the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and her cabinet. In an unflinching reckoning with the past, Magee recounts the events of his life. He chronicles the profound experience of meeting Jo Berry – whose father was one of five people killed in the bombing – and the extraordinary work they have done together.

A chasm of misunderstanding endures around the Troubles and the history of British rule in Ireland. This memoir builds a bridge to a common understanding. It is written in the belief that anything is possible when there is honesty, inclusion and dialogue.

Acknowledgements

Foreword by Jo Berry

Introduction

1. Trace Memories

2. The Politics of Place

3. Unity Flats

4. Joining G Company

5. Capture and the Lazy K

6. Back to War

7. Burnout

8. Recommitment

9. Nineteen Eighty-Four

10. Capture and Trial

11. Life X 8

12. Gate Fever

13. My God! Him Too?

14. Bridges Can Be Built

15. Facing the Enemy

16. The F Word

17. The Field of Peace

18. Postscript

Index