Say Nothing is a mini-series on Hulu that unfolds in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. It spans over four decades, and the series goes back and forth between the younger versions of the characters and their older selves. At the center of the drama is a series of tapes recorded by Boston College titled the Belfast Project that aimed to maintain an oral history by gathering accounts of IRA volunteers active during the Troubles. One of the most prominent figures who contributed massively to unveiling hard truths about the crimes committed by the IRA was Dolours Price. Born into a republican family, Dolours had heard stories of bomb-making and prison escapes as a young girl instead of fairy tales and rhymes. While she initially advocated for non-violent measures when it came to demanding equal rights for Catholics, the world soon taught her that freedom was an impossible dream without armed struggle. Dolours chose gun over paintbrush, as she signed up to become a member of the IRA instead of going to university. While Dolours assumed she was doing the right thing—fighting for a unified Ireland—as she grew older, she realized she had caused more harm than good.
Spoiler Alert
What led to Brendan Hughes and Gerry Adams’ conflict?
Dolours took pride in the active role she played as a member of the IRA. She and her sister, Marian, refused to join The Cumann, the women’s wing of the IRA. They believed they would be more useful with guns in their hands than bandages to nurse the victims of the war. At the time, Brendan Hughes and Gerry Adams were the most prominent members of the IRA, and they planned and conducted operations. Dolours and Marian soon gained their trust, and they were invited by Adams to join his secret elite group, The Unknowns, to carry out confidential operations. Her job mostly involved driving traitors from Northern Ireland across the border of the Republic of Ireland. There were days when the person(s) she was driving was someone she deeply cared about or at least knew quite well, but she always justified her actions, thinking that she was doing what was good for the greater cause. She drove one of her close confidants, Joe Lynskey, to the border and handed him to a group of men. He had no idea what awaited him, and even though it broke her heart, she did not give away the truth. She also drove Seamus Wright and Kevin McKee to the border and handed them over to members of The Unknowns.
Seamus was a prominent IRA member. The British Army had abducted him and had threatened to sentence him to prison for twenty years if he refused to work for them. He could either choose to have an apartment in London and provide for his family, or he would be locked up in prison, and his family would struggle to make ends meet. He had no choice but to sort out his priorities, and he chose his family over the cause. When the truth surfaced, Brendan Hughes decided to use Seamus and Kevin, also an IRA member who was lured by guns to serve the British, to his advantage. After thinking about the choice Seamus was offered by the British, Brendan sympathized with him and offered him and Kevin a chance to prove their loyalty to the cause. They were tasked to spy on and report all the measures taken by the British Intelligence to destroy the IRA, and they proved to be extremely helpful. While Brendan wanted to keep his promise and let Seamus and Kevin live, Gerry Adams disagreed. He believed they must obey the IRA policy—to always make an example of traitors. Adams allegedly ordered the murder of Seamus and Kevin. As a young teenager who assumed he was in the clear after helping the cause, Kevin panicked when he realized he would be killed. The killing of Seamus and Kevin in episode 4 of Say Nothing is one of the most impactful scenes in the series. It not only showed how, in the name of the cause, people were being rampantly murdered, but also that the IRA was doing exactly what the British Intelligence expected them to do.
Why did Dolours distance herself from the IRA?
Dolours had ideated, planned, and executed the London car bombing attack in 1973, along with Marian. The IRA had become infamous for missing their targets when it came to bombings. So Dolours came up with a plan that would demonstrate that the IRA was efficient and also instill fear among the Britishers. She chose the Old Bailey Courthouse in London along with the Ministry of Agriculture to carry out the bombing. Almost two hundred people were injured as a result of the incident. Dolours and Marian were arrested when they tried to fly out of London. They were held in London, and the sisters demanded to be transferred to a prison in Northern Ireland. Dolours and Marian went on a 208-day hunger strike, and as a result of an IRA truce, the British government met their demand. Dolours developed a complex relationship with food after the hunger strike and forced feeding. During the time spent in prison, Dolours started to question every decision she had taken before. She had turned thirty, and it suddenly dawned upon her that she also wanted to experience the little joys of ordinary existence. She wanted to be in love, have children, and enjoy stability. She also realized that despite all the sacrifices she had made as a young woman, nothing had changed in Northern Ireland. She had given away her youth to the cause, and she refused to sacrifice the rest of her life, especially now that the political climate had started to change. Gerry Adams had joined Sinn Fein and was contesting the election, and Dolours decided it was time she too focused on fixing her life.
How had Gerry Adams betrayed his former colleagues?
After joining Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams went on record to state that he had never been involved with the IRA. His statement infuriated IRA volunteers, especially those who were serving time in prison because of the actions they had carried out allegedly on Adams’ commands. Say Nothing mentions after every episode that Gerry Adams had denied his involvement with the IRA and his role in the disappearance of the ‘traitors.’ Given how the statement contradicts everything that is shown in the series, Adams’ words almost seem to mock the pain and the carnage experienced by common people because of the decisions taken by the leaders within the IRA. As a politician, Adams spoke about bringing peace to Northern Ireland through conversation instead of violence.
Dolours and several other former volunteers of the IRA disagreed with the ‘Good Friday Agreement.’ They believed their contribution to the Troubles amounted to nothing; the dream of a united Ireland continued to be distant. While they had assumed Adams would never talk about surrendering, they were proved wrong. However one must note that two referendums were passed and the majority of voters were in favor of the power-sharing arrangement that the agreement guaranteed. After thousands of deaths and catastrophic destruction during The Troubles, common people wanted nothing but peace. Brendan Hughes felt betrayed by Adams. They had worked together in the IRA, and he could not believe that the man he once planned military operations with had washed his hands of his crimes and was talking about bringing peace. He was not upset about the peace talks, but he struggled to sleep at night knowing that every killing was for nothing. Both he and Dolours followed orders without questioning them, and it was only after they had grown old that they realized that they should have listened to their conscience instead of agreeing to carry out the most gruesome covert operations, thinking it would serve the bigger cause. They lived with regret, and they despised Gerry Adams for never having the courage to admit the massive role he played in carrying out operations as an IRA member. They wanted him to suffer physically and mentally as they did, but evidently, Adams had convinced himself that he had no role to play in the tragedy.
Why did Dolours Confess To McConville’s murder?
Dolours suffered from PTSD, and she had an addiction problem, and it was all because her conscience made it impossible for her to remain silent. As a little girl, her father had always taught her that there was nothing more valuable than one’s silence. When she joined the IRA, she agreed to always maintain silence if she ever got caught in action. But she had no idea that the weight of silence would wear her down with time. She was often haunted by the ghosts of the ‘traitors,’ and she realized how unfair it was to keep the families of the ‘disappeared’ in the dark. When Jean McConville’s daughter, Helen, broke her silence, Dolours made up her mind to act.
Jean McConville was assumed to be a British informant by the IRA. She had allegedly helped an injured British soldier, and according to IRA prisoners, she assisted the British Army by confirming a prisoner’s allegiance to the IRA. But no one had seen her in the act, and they assumed she was guilty because she had a pair of red shoes similar to the ones worn by the woman behind the white curtain. Dolours was with Jean McConville when she handed her over to members of The Unknowns. She remembered Jean asking about what would happen to her ten children and if they would be allowed to meet her. Just like the other ‘traitors,’ she had no idea what awaited her. Helen publicly accused Gerry Adams of playing a crucial role in her mother’s disappearance because, according to sources, he was a member of the IRA at the time. To clear his image, Adams met Helen and promised her that he would start an investigation to find out what had happened to Jean McConville.
According to Say Nothing, Adam knew very well that Jean was murdered, but given his political stance during the time, he could not let the allegations affect his image. Jean McConville’s remains were discovered on Shelling Hill Beach. In the tapes, Dolours admitted that she was involved in the murder of Jean McConville and that it was the IRA who had ordered her execution. Apparently, Jean had admitted to her involvement with the British Army, but there was no evidence to support the claim. As always, Dolours did not question her superiors and carried out the task that she was assigned. Seeing how her actions had impacted Jean’s children, she decided it was time that she publicly acknowledged her involvement.
Was justice delivered to Jean McConville?
The ghost of her past continued to haunt Dolours, and she ended up contacting a journalist working for The Irish News. She thought it was time that Helen and her siblings knew the entire truth behind their mother’s death. After she explained her involvement in the execution in detail, the journalist asked her how the IRA could carry out an execution based on a red pair of shoes, something that can be so commonly found. Dolours never asked such questions as a young member of the IRA; she simply believed what she was told. But after years of thinking about every action and operation, Dolours had come to the conclusion that the disappearances were a war crime and she had played a decisive role in executing them. She also did not hesitate to confess that Gerry Adams was the leader of The Unknowns, and that he was the one behind the disappearances.
Marian thought Dolours had made a terrible mistake by confessing to a news outlet, but her sister did not care. She could not live with the guilt anymore, and she was ready to face the consequences of her actions. Dolours ensured that Marian’s name remained out of the confessions. She did not mention her sister in the tapes, and she never spoke about Marian to the journalist as well. Marian was still involved with the IRA; she felt the compulsive need to keep on fighting for the cause till her last breath, even though everything had clearly fallen apart. After Dolours’ confession made it to television, Helen decided to press charges against those involved in her mother’s murder. Dolours had died of an overdose that night. After confessing the truth, a weight was lifted off her chest, but the guilt continued to consume her. Even though her actions had devastating effects, Dolours in the very end helped Jean’s children get closure. Gerry Adams was briefly apprehended and interrogated, but he categorically denied his involvement. Helen was heartbroken to find that Adams was released with no charges pressed due to a lack of concrete evidence. Oral recordings and confessions of IRA volunteers were not enough to keep him behind bars.
In Say Nothing’s ending, it is revealed that Dolours had confessed to Anthony McIntyre that she received a call the night she had dropped off Jean McConville. Apparently, the boys in the south were hesitant about killing Jean, and Dolours, Marian, and Pat (also a member of The Unknowns) were expected to ensure that the execution was carried out. They arrived at the Shelling Hill beach, and seeing how nervous Pat was, Dolours suggested the three of them take turns. Dolours intentionally missed the target; she could not go through with the assassination. Marian grabbed hold of the gun and shot Jean in the back of her head without any hesitation. As her elder sister, Dolours had taught Marian to see the world in black and white, but she had not realized the extent Marian would go to prove her loyalty to the cause. As is stated at the very end of the final episode of Say Nothing, Marian has denied the allegation and maintains her innocence. Also, Dolours, according to the show, had confessed the truth off the record, so there is no evidence to back the claim. Out of the seventeen Disappeared, four individuals are yet to be found.
Say Nothing goes on to show how every coin has two sides. While it started with resisting the British Army, the religious conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants added fuel to the fire. Some will continue to side with the IRA, and there are those who can never overcome the catastrophic damage that the republicans had caused. Youngsters with boiling blood like Dolours wanted immediate action, and naturally, armed struggle was the answer. But they failed to realize that it is always the foot soldiers who are killed in wars, and those with political aspirations will find a way to keep their hands clean and achieve their goals by hook or by crook.
