Dedication to a Cause

One of the most prevalent themes of the book is the dedication to the cause of the Irish prisoners. The Irish in Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland grew up with violence and fighting and many of the Irish Catholics join the provisional Irish Republican Army, as Maureen, Brian and many others did. They commit acts of violence to try to obtain their goals. Maureen broke away from the IRA which is why she is on a Belfast death list. The others did not.

Brian Flynn took the name of Finn MacCumail and formed a radical splinter group called the Fenians. His people remained loyal to him and their mission throughout the Cathedral ordeal and this is one of the things that impresses him. Many of them have family members being interned by the British and Irish government under the Special Powers Act. They...