Pity in War

Dublin city centre at the GPO. There is smoke filling the air and gun shots in the distance. There is rubble all over the ground. I tripped over it, and people were shooting and standing around smoking. I saw someone run, and loads of stray dogs scattered as I started to run towards a shop. I crawled through a window and got into the shop. I was surprised by the shopkeeper and asked them:

“Can you let me hide here?”

“No, why do you want to get in?” said the shopkeeper.

“The Brits are chasing me,” I explained.

The Aunties

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Scéal Sí

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Beo Bocht

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“The war is over, why are they still shooting? If I let you in, they will shoot me.”

“I’ll find somewhere else.”

I broke down the door to get out of the shop and ran down an alleyway when I was stopped in my tracks by a man with a gun. It was the soldier that I saw chasing me in the first place. He had a familiar face. He was looking around to try and get a way out and hide himself. He seemed confused.

“Give me your gun and I will help you,” I said.

The soldier said, “Please don’t kill me.” Suddenly I realized he had been shot in the leg already. I saw a wheelbarrow, put him in it and began pushing him down the street. I threw a tarp over him so no one would see who he was. As I was walking down the street, I met another Irish soldier and he asked me:

“What is in the wheelbarrow?”

“Ammunition,” I said and kept walking. I was sweating from running and was looking for somewhere to hide the British soldier. I needed a first aid kit to fix his legs. He was bleeding a lot by now so I broke off some of the tarp to wrap around his leg. I thought about throwing him in the Liffey, but I reckoned it was too clean and the blood would dirty the water. Then I found a wounded Irish soldier and put him in the wheelbarrow on top of the other lad. I thought it would be good to find a dead Irish soldier to use their uniform to disguise the British one.

We were coming down the quays and decided to go up to the Abbey Theatre and hide in there. I went into the Abbey where I found a first aid kit to begin healing their wounds. The theatre was dark, falling apart and cold, and I could not see very well. I thought to myself: “I should eat more carrots.”

Began to scream

I thought about leaving both soldiers and continuing, but the Irish soldier woke up and pulled out a picture of his wife. He realized that the other soldier was British and began to scream and started to fight with him. He pulled out a knife, so I stopped them fighting and said:

“I saved yis both. Have some food and calm down.”

We all moved off to our own corners and began to eat, and I was able to find a lantern to make some light. We all went to sleep and when I woke up the British soldier, who was not in his right state of mind after losing so much blood, was crouched over me with bloodshot eyes and tears running down his face while mumbling under his breath: “I want to go home to my wife and kids.”

He was visibly shaking and holding a knife to my neck ...