Where Grieving Begins: Building Bridges after the Brighton Bomb - A Memoir

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.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements 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

About the Author :
Patrick Magee was released from prison in 1999 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. For 27 years, Patrick was a committed member of the IRA and remains a republican. He completed his PhD while in prison.

Review :
'An important book ... Only by hearing such voices will we shape our understanding into some kind of order and reconciliation' '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' 'Magee’s narrative is calm and collected; analytical and poetic ... His emotional desire for reconciliation comes across as genuine and heartfelt' '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' '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' ‘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’ 'Not many autobiographies show an author feeling his way through his life, seeking to understand each phase of it. This one does' 'A treatise on processes of responsibility, grieving and reconciliation' ‘A fascinating read’