Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder in Northern Ireland

In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville's children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress--with so many kids, she had always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes.

Patrick Radden Keefe's mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders.

Join members of the Dane County Shamrock Club for a discussion of the book and a look into the lives of the “disappeared,” Gerry Adams, and the Boston Project tapes.

The first meeting of the book club will take place in January 2022. Due to the pandemic, the meeting date, time, and location are to be determined.

Please continue to read the newsletter and visit the website for updates. RSVPs will be suggested. You may email the club with any questions at: Dane [email protected]

Copies of the book may be found on Amazon, locally at Half Price Books and Barnes & Noble, or through your local library. The book is also available in audio format.