Fire Below
Page 4
Gerry very good
Tom the last conflict – what did netanyahu say
Gerry i don’t give a fuck what that bastard says
Tom he compared what’s happening to israel to what happened to london and the blitz
Gerry jesus christ – and you’re ok with that
Tom i get where he’s coming from because it raises the question – what do you do
Rosemary i’ll tell you what you do – you stop oppressing the people who are firing the rockets – because that’s the reason they’re firing them – they killed nearly a thousand palestinians – about forty israelis were killed – over twenty per cent of that thousand were children – they fucking know they’re killing children
Tom the situation is about security – israel is being attacked so it has to defend itself – if that wasn’t the situation life would be far better in gaza and on the west bank – they are only doing what any country would do
Gerry it’s the equivalent of mick tyson repeatedly punching a baby that’s spitting at him – and the baby can’t move to escape the blows – because there’s hundreds of other babies crowded into the same room – and you know what – they’d fuckin blow that room up too and it wouldn’t bother them
Tom do you hear yourself when you say things like that – the state has a duty to protect its citizens against terrorism
Rosemary what about state terrorism
Maggie i’m sick to bloody death at that – any state that defends itself is also committing acts of terrorism – terrorists are bloody terrorists – that’s it – end of story
Rosemary so that’s it – the palestinians are terrorists – and israel can do what it likes
Maggie i didn’t say they could do what they like – i said they have the right to defend themselves in whatever way they see fit
Rosemary so they do what they like
Maggie that’s it isn’t it – no one cares what’s already there – generations of people living their lives out somewhere – providing the country with wealth – making it strong and secure – fighting for their country – giving their lives for something noble – but none of that matters – let’s just speak up for the terrorists – the bombers – the murders
Gerry sderot cinema – you ever hear of that – a group of israelis sat in lawn chairs – lawn chairs – like the ones we’re sitting in – eating popcorn and watching all the missiles raining down on gaza – what’s noble about that
Tom you think they don’t cheer in gaza when they trail a dead israeli soldier through the streets – it is what it is
Gerry it is what it is – fuck
Silence.
Maggie i’m going home
Rosemary yeah – you should
Maggie i was going to say i can’t believe you think like that but it doesn’t really surprise me
Rosemary why because we’re catholics
Maggie yes
Gerry go on fuck off the both of yous
Tom scrubbers – always have been always will be
Gerry go on and fuck off – take your cheap wine down to the bonfire – it’s where the two of yous belong
Tom why don’t you two fuck off down to dublin – that’s where you really want to be – leave this country to us – we built it – it’s ours
Gerry fuck off to finchley you dickhead
Tom nowhere – going nowhere – do you hear that – this is our country – we’re going nowhere – our country – our fucking country
Tom and Maggie leave.
Rosemary chur mé m’am amú leatsa – an chaint sin uilig – an machnamh sin uilig – caite – curtha amú ortsa – thánig tusa chugamsa – cuimhní ar sin. cuimhní i gćonaí ar sin – tháinig tusa chugamsa a phleidhce bhradaigh – dál an scéil – níl a dheath ‘mhaith ionat cibé – an taon fáth gur inis mé sin duit nó gur duine deas mé agus níor tógadh mé le fuath a bheith agam ar dhaoine eile – a ghadaí gan náire – you shit bag.
They sit and pour a glass of wine.
Gerry what was all that about
Rosemary nothing
Gerry it was about something
Rosemary i was giving out to him – i wanted him to hear it in irish – wanted to annoy her
Gerry right
Silence.
Rosemary i’m not sitting here watching that shit
Gerry nah – fuck it
They take the wine and exit.
The bonfire is lit – a red glow.
Gerry enters. He sits at the table and drinks his glass of wine.
my land – my garden – my deck – i’ll do what i want – watch what i want – drinking my wine minding my own business – everyone should drink wine on their deck and mind their own business – look at whatever you want – the city – the sky
Rosemary enters.
Rosemary thought you had enough of this
Gerry taking a different approach – going to look up at the sky
Rosemary sits.
or across at the city – up or across – not down
Rosemary the city looks beautiful from here
Gerry it does – all those lights – all those houses – who the fuck lives there – no different from looking up in the sky – know as much about those stars as I do about the people in those houses
Rosemary you’ve had too much wine
Gerry aye – the world’s allowed to be beautiful you know
Rosemary i just said the city looks beautiful from up here
Gerry so you did – so you did – you look beautiful
Rosemary gerry
Gerry what
Rosemary nothing
Gerry you do
Rosemary thank you – just sit back there and look up at the sky
Gerry sometimes when i’m sitting here on my own at night – there’s a complete silence about the place – all around – everywhere
Tom and Maggie enter. They stand for a moment before sitting.
A lengthy silence.
They drink wine.
Tom as if you’d know where finchley is
Gerry do you know where it is
Tom in england
Gerry very good
Maggie london
Rosemary north-west london
Gerry i knew that
Maggie no you didn’t
Rosemary yous two know nothing
Tom know enough
Lights begin to fade.
Gerry correct know enough – did your man come back and piss on the wall
Tom didn’t look
Maggie why would he come back to piss on the wall – although i wouldn’t put it past them – but why would he
Gerry i was only asking – i’m going to learn spanish – that’s it – going to do it
Rosemary good man
Tom that fire doesn’t last long
Rosemary only a wee one not worth the waiting on
Gerry spanish
Maggie we know
Gerry right – spanish
A slight red glow.
Blackout.
Appendix
TRANSLATIONS
PAGE 17
Tom Cáide má ‘tá tú
how have you been keeping
Rosemary an mhaith go raibh maith agat – tá tú gabháil i bfheabhas
very well thank you – you’re getting better at this
Tom go raibh maith agat – tá múinteoir maith agam
thank you – have a good teacher
PAGE 19
Rosemary na sean chinn na cinn is fearr
the old ones are the best
Tom is fearr
best
Tom best – is fearr
best –
PAGE 21
Rosemary tá Gaelige ró-dheachar dó
irish is too difficult for him
Tom ró-dheachar di chomh maith
too difficult for her as well
Tom tá feidhm leis
there’s a point to it
PAGE 22
Rosemary it felt like there was genuine hope in the air – everybody saying the same thing – a new beginning – tús nua
a new beginning
Tom tús nua
a new beginning
PAGE 24
Rosemary in irish that would be – cnoc silíní
cherry hill
Rosemary tá cosa fada a dhith ort le ghabhail ar capall ard
you need long legs for a high horse
PAGE 25
Rosemary ard-oifig
headquarters
PAGE 30
Tom mhuin do bhean a lán dom
your wife has taught me a lot
PAGE 31
Rosemary níor inis – amadán
no he hasn’t – eejit
PAGE 36
Rosemary suirí – ag deanamh suirí
intercourse – sexual intercourse – full penetrative sexual intercourse
PAGE 39
Rosemary srian ar an scéal
control the narrative
PAGE 40
Rosemary nach dóigh libh go bhfhuil smacht againn
do you not think we do
Rosemary sin an déil
that’s the deal
Tom aontaim
I do
PAGE 42
Tom lámha agus cosa
all arms and legs
PAGE 46
Rosemary múinteoir maith faighte agate
you found a good teacher
PAGE 52
Rosemary mé ag magadh
I was joking
PAGE 57
Rosemary chur mé m’am amú leatsa – an chaint sin uilig – an machnamh sin uilig – caite – curtha amú ortsa – thánig tusa chugamsa – cuimhní ar sin. cuimhní i gćonaí ar sin – tháinig tusa chugamsa a phleidhce bhradaigh – dál an scéil, níl a dheath ‘mhaith ionat cibé – an taon fáth gur inis mé sin duit nó gur duine deas mé agus níor tógadh mé le fuath a bheith agam ar dhaoine eile – a ghadaí gan náire – you shit bag.
wasted my bloody time with you – all that talk – all that thinking – wasted – wasted on you – you came to me – remember that – always remember that – you came to me – you bastard – and by the way you’re shit at it – only tell you you’re good because i’m a nice person and i wasn’t brought up to hate people the way you were you shit bag
About the Author
Over the past twenty-five years Owen McCafferty’s plays have been performed worldwide and have won numerous awards. Previous work includes Titanic: Scenes from thr British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912 (MAC, Belfast); The Absence of Women (Lyric Theatre, Belfast, and Tricycle Theatre, London); Days of Wine and Roses (Donmar Theatre, London; Closing Time (National Theatre, London); Shoot the Crow (Druid, Galway); Mojo Mickybo (Kabosh, Belfast); Scenes from the Big Picture (National Theatre, London), which won the Meyer-Whitworth, John Whiting and Evening Standard Awards; Quietly (Abbey Theatre, Dublin), which won the Writers’ Guild Award for Best Play; and Death of a Comedian (Abbey Theatre, Dublin, Lyric Theatre, Belfast, and Soho Theatre, London). He is currently working on his first screenplay, Normal People, and a musical based on the novel The Good Son.
By the Same Author
from Faber
PLAYS ONE
(Mojo Mickybo, Shoot the Crow, Closing Time,
Scenes from the Big Picture, The Waiting List)
PLAYS TWO
(The Absence of Women, Titanic, Quietly,
Unfaithful, Death of a Comedian, Beach)
THE ABSENCE OF WOMEN
TITANIC
QUIETLY
UNFAITHFUL
DEATH OF A COMEDIAN
from Nick Hern Books
ANTIGONE
(after Sophocles)
DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES
(after J. P. Miller)
COLD COMFORT
SCENES FROM THE BIG PICTURE
CLOSING TIME
from Lagan Press / Nick Hern Books
I WON’T DANCE DON’T ASK ME
THE WAITING LIST
SHOOT THE CROW
MOJO MICKYBO
from Lagan Press
THE PRIVATE PICTURE SHOW
FREEFALLING
from Tinderbox Theatre Company
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
THE CHAIRS
(after Ionesco)
libretto
MAY CONTAIN FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY
LOVEGOLFLOVE
Copyright
First published in 2017
by Faber and Faber Ltd
Bloomsbury House
74–77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA
This ebook edition first published in 2017
All rights reserved
© Owen McCafferty, 2017
The right of Owen McCafferty to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights whatsoever in these plays are strictly reserved and applications to perform them should be made in writing, before rehearsals begin, to The Agency (London) Ltd, 24 Pottery Lane, Holland Park, London W11 4LZ. No performance may be given unless a licence has first been obtained.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–0–571–34528–1