Introduction

Construction of Identity in Northern Irish Novels 267
In One by One in the Darkness the brother of an old friend of Helen’s, Tony
Larkin, dies planting a bomb near Magherafelt at the age of 19 (Madden 103).
Although he dies himself as the initiator and no innocents are concerned his death
leaves an awkward feeling among neighbours and friends: “A strange atmosphere
hung over everyone and everything at the time of Tony’s death, a hushed and
grieved air, and there was a distance between people, as though no matter how
much they talked, they remained deeply isolated from each other” (Madden 104),
a clear sign of the confusion and disturbance the war – no matter in which way –
caused for families and friends. At Tony’s funeral several paramilitaries are present
which leaves mixed feelings among the rest of the funeral attendants. Father Black
for example who speaks the sermon forbids Tony’s companions to put a beret,
black gloves and the tricolour flag on top of the coffin; typical insignia of an IRA
funeral ritual (ibid. 104). Six men and women all dressed in black with black berets,
and dark glasses bid their deceased comrade a last farewell: “[They] produced
guns, and when someone gave orders in Irish, they raised their arms and fired a
volley of shots over the open grave. Many of the mourners applauded loudly;
some of the men even whistled and cheered” (ibid. 105). While Helen’s uncle
Brian is among the applauders who “clapped hardest of all” (ibid. 105) their father
remains silent. Like many others Charlie cannot make sense of the IRA methods
and advises his daughters to remember what they have just witnessed: “Never
forget what you saw today; and never let anybody try to tell you that it was anything
other than a life wasted, and lives destroyed” (ibid. 105). In the present story
of the novel Helen has to defend Oliver Maguire, a young man who is suspected
of having murdered a taxi driver. Although Helen chose her job deliberately this
time she begins to have doubts about her clients. This time she suddenly knows
Oliver really did kill the man. Images of the deed pass vividly right in front of her
eyes (ibid. 173). For the first time she sees the insanity of the sectarian killings she
as a solicitor has to deal with and begins to remember her father’s unnecessary
death.
In all three examples a deep insight into the minds of the IRA men is not
given but they are not depicted as evil monsters, either. The focus is rather set on
the families of the delinquents and the consequences they have to deal with. Not
every family was standing in the republican tradition, thus relatives were normally
as shocked by the facts as the world outside. Mrs. Larkin is said to look “as if she
were locked into some terrible dream, from which she didn’t have the energy to
struggle to awaken” (ibid. 104). Mrs. Maguire refuses to believe her son to be a
murderer at first, too. “Oliver couldn’t have done what they’re accusing him of. I
know, because I’m his mother” (ibid. 175), but secretly Helen knows Mrs. Larkin
knows the truth as well. In the end she admits: “It’s all like a dream, so it is […]
All like a terrible dream” (ibid. 176). Helen is also familiar with the feelings those
an Irish provisional government in 1916. From this action the PIRA took its name (Aughey
161ff).