Winter In Dublin...Lynch's Gamble

Flannery needed a leak. He'd been drinking all night full of joy and gaiety. The actions of Winter's team had caused the nationalists to celebrate wildly. Someone was fighting for them. The general feeling was it was the IRA. Flannery knew differently. He couldn't say anything. He had a family.

Yet he joined in enthusiastically. He had thought Winter was an arsehole but he had given the Brits a hard time. So far so good.

As he walked back from the bathroom, Flannery thought he heard a noise. Winter's team were in the Republic....
 
A house on the Falls Road. 5 men sat in a darkened room. They had questions:

"Who the fuck is Flannery"

"Some fenian living in Newry. He's got a house with a barn"

"And you think that's where they're hiding"

"We went there on Tuesday. Looks like it"

"Gentlemen" said a harsh husky voice "Find out for sure"
 
I don't think anyone would be referring to a "Fenian" (derogatory term for an Irish Nationalist/Catholic) on the (heavily Catholic) Falls Road. Nor would it be a place for the other side to hide in plain site -much too neighbourly and parochial.
If these are a loyalist group, it should be the Shankhill Road. If they are the SAS/MI5 probably Thiepval or Alexandra Barracks. If MI6, somewhere in Bangor (Maxwell Road very likely) or a house in Crawfordsburn. If this is the IRA , they wouldn't be using the derogatory Protestant description - more likely to describe Flannery as a "culchie". Never been on the Provisional Army Council, but don't think they went in for self-referential irony at all.
 
Flannery and Winter stood in a copse. Autumn was setting in the mood was changing. Flannery had been spooked by the car and was starting to wonder if the brits were closing in. Winter meanwhile had been under pressure from Salisbury to come back and deal with potential insurgents (some bastard called Mugabe).

"I'm feckin terrified" said Flannery. I keep looking round me shoulder to see if there's anyone following me"

"Ok Sean, I think its time to start wrapping it up. Just one more job"
 
The Stormont Assembly was in full flow and as usual O'Neill was under attack from all sides. He had tried in vain to explain to the angry mass that the security services were doing "everything humanly possible" to find the perpetrators.

As expected this did not sit well with Paisley et al.

"slack,spineless friend of the fenians" bellowed the Reverend "The Prime Minister has shown himself to be incompetent. If he cannot or will not act then others may find themselves forced to..."

The dull "crump" was felt and heard throughout the chamber. For an instant there was silence.

A door opened and a clerk rushed in.

"Carson's statue has been blown up"
 
The Stormont Assembly was in full flow and as usual O'Neill was under attack from all sides. He had tried in vain to explain to the angry mass that the security services were doing "everything humanly possible" to find the perpetrators.

As expected this did not sit well with Paisley et al.

"slack,spineless friend of the fenians" bellowed the Reverend "The Prime Minister has shown himself to be incompetent. If he cannot or will not act then others may find themselves forced to..."

The dull "crump" was felt and heard throughout the chamber. For an instant there was silence.

A door opened and a clerk rushed in.

"Carson's statue has been blown up"
This is getting pretty good.
(Oh and sir, They out a picture of Michael Collins on it)
 
We commend to you, O Lord! the soul of this your servant N, and beseech you, O Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the world,
that, as in your love for him, you became man, so now you would grant to admit him into the number of the blessed.
May all the Saints and Elect of God, who, on earth, suffered for the sake of Christ, intercede for him; so that, when freed from the prison of his body, he may be admitted into the kingdom of heaven: through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end. R. Amen.
May the blessing of God Almighty the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost descend upon you and remain with you always.
 
It was winter in Dublin. A light smattering of snow covered the courtyard of the Dail

"Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive"

That line by Walter Scott echoed in his mind as he walked through the corridor to the debating chamber.

Part of him thought that this wouldn't happen while another thought "why did it end like this"?

The effects of Winter's team's final act were still reverberating.

After the attack at Stormont where Carson's statue had been destroyed, Winter's team made for Flannery's barn for the last time. After a round of handshakes and blessings from the team, they set off at Midnight back to the republic.

As they crossed the border they realised that they were being followed by a van.

The doors of both the van and the truck containing the team burst open....

There were shouts...

Then gunshots.

Private Thomas Skinner, aged 25 of the Irish Defence Forces was shot dead by a loyalist who was also a member of the Royal Irish Rangers

The shootings led to the Gardai and the Army being scrambled. Ironically the nearest barracks were the base of Winter's team.

The loyalists were quickly captured and disarmed.

The news spread through the Republic like wildfire. A white faced Lynch made an emotional statement to the Dail that afternoon. Tom Skinner was married with a son and another child on the way. He was later posthumously awarded with the Irish Military Medal with Distinction. The highest military award in the Republic. His funeral in Dublin was attended by 500,000 people.

The political ramifications were immense. Effectively Ireland had been invaded and a Irish soldier shot dead. Wilson was horrified, Haughey and Blaney were guilt ridden.

Questioning of the suspects had revealed that they thought they were chasing whoever had been responsible for the chaos in the North.

That met with derision on both sides of the border. There were rumours that Paisley was involved, he denied it but his career was never the same again.

Winter vanished back to Rhodesia. He was never heard of again

Both North and South made their feelings clear. This has to stop.

Discussions, soul searching and decisions were made.

As Lynch walked towards the Dail chamber He knew that everything was changing. But changing into what he didn't know.

A clerk opened the door to the chamber and Lynch walked in...accompanied by Harold Wilson. The first British Prime Minister ever to address the Dail...


THE END
 
It was winter in Dublin. A light smattering of snow covered the courtyard of the Dail

"Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive"

That line by Walter Scott echoed in his mind as he walked through the corridor to the debating chamber.

Part of him thought that this wouldn't happen while another thought "why did it end like this"?

The effects of Winter's team's final act were still reverberating.

After the attack at Stormont where Carson's statue had been destroyed, Winter's team made for Flannery's barn for the last time. After a round of handshakes and blessings from the team, they set off at Midnight back to the republic.

As they crossed the border they realised that they were being followed by a van.

The doors of both the van and the truck containing the team burst open....

There were shouts...

Then gunshots.

Private Thomas Skinner, aged 25 of the Irish Defence Forces was shot dead by a loyalist who was also a member of the Royal Irish Rangers

The shootings led to the Gardai and the Army being scrambled. Ironically the nearest barracks were the base of Winter's team.

The loyalists were quickly captured and disarmed.

The news spread through the Republic like wildfire. A white faced Lynch made an emotional statement to the Dail that afternoon. Tom Skinner was married with a son and another child on the way. He was later posthumously awarded with the Irish Military Medal with Distinction. The highest military award in the Republic. His funeral in Dublin was attended by 500,000 people.

The political ramifications were immense. Effectively Ireland had been invaded and a Irish soldier shot dead. Wilson was horrified, Haughey and Blaney were guilt ridden.

Questioning of the suspects had revealed that they thought they were chasing whoever had been responsible for the chaos in the North.

That met with derision on both sides of the border. There were rumours that Paisley was involved, he denied it but his career was never the same again.

Winter vanished back to Rhodesia. He was never heard of again

Both North and South made their feelings clear. This has to stop.

Discussions, soul searching and decisions were made.

As Lynch walked towards the Dail chamber He knew that everything was changing. But changing into what he didn't know.

A clerk opened the door to the chamber and Lynch walked in...accompanied by Harold Wilson. The first British Prime Minister ever to address the Dail...


THE END
And both Ireland and Southern Ireland unify as one state, everyone survives, Erin Go Bragh.

Thanks man, I enjoyed it!
 
What? We will not get to know how it ends? :(

Thanks for the feedback guys. To be honest I wasn't sure if I could extend the story. There are a lot of brilliant writers on here who can write for months on end. I can't sadly.

With that in mind I decided to end the story with both the UK and Ireland having to deal with the after effects of the invasion and the reasons why this had happened.
 
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