Where Grieving Begins
Building Bridges after the Brighton Bomb - A Memoir
The memoir of the 'Brighton Bomber', Patrick Magee
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.
Patrick Magee was a committed member of the IRA for 27 years, fighting against British rule of Ireland under partition. He was responsible for planting the ‘Brighton Bomb’ in 1984. Since his release from prison after the Good Friday Agreement, he has worked towards building a common understanding of the past. He completed his PhD whilst in prison, and is the author of Gangsters or Guerrillas? Representations of Irish Republicans in Troubles Fiction (Beyond the Pale Publications, 2001). He remains a republican.
'An important book ... Only by hearing such voices will we shape our understanding into some kind of order and reconciliation'
- Irish Times'I read this book with total fascination. Different countries, different conflicts, Pat the bomber and I the bombed - yet how extraordinarily similar, intense, complex and healing the experience of reaching out to the hated 'enemy' had been for both of us'
- Albie Sachs, former judge on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and chief architect of the post-apartheid constitution'Magee’s narrative is calm and collected; analytical and poetic ... His emotional desire for reconciliation comes across as genuine and heartfelt'
- Counterpunch'Patrick Magee is a fine example of a human being making his way through an acute crisis. He and Jo Berry managed to transform the aftermath of a severe conflict into a profoundly useful form of communication. They both deserve our respect and admiration for this'
- Scilla Elworthy, founder of the Oxford Research Group, co-founder of Peace Direct and three-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize'A vivid, deeply personal account of why a young, unassuming man became a volunteer in the IRA, risked his life and sacrificed his freedom, to take on not just the British military in Belfast's ghettoes but in the lion's den itself'
- Danny Morrison, Secretary of the Bobby Sands Trust and author of All the Dead Voices (Mercier Press, 2002)‘Compelling … Pat’s exploration of his journey into republican politics, of life as an IRA volunteer, as a political prisoner and the consequences of the armed actions he participated in, provide an important alternative narrative to that often presented by others’
- Gerry Adams, former President of Sinn Fein'Not many autobiographies show an author feeling his way through his life, seeking to understand each phase of it. This one does'
- Andersonstown News'A treatise on processes of responsibility, grieving and reconciliation'
- Red Pepper‘A fascinating read’
- Sunday TimesAcknowledgements
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
eBook ISBN: 9781786806871
150mm x 230mm
