A Quiet Day in Belfast

Last updated
A Quiet Day in Belfast
A Quiet Day in Belfast VideoCover.jpg
Directed by Milad Bessada
Written byplay Andrew Dalrymple
screenplay Jack Gray
Produced byMilad Bessada
Starring Barry Foster
Margot Kidder
Cinematography Harry Makin
Edited by Simon Dew
Music byGreg Adams
Eric N. Robertson
Production
company
Twinbay Media International
Distributed byAmbassador Film Distributors
Release date
17 May 1974 (Canada)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

A Quiet Day in Belfast is a 1974 Canadian drama film set in Northern Ireland and starring Barry Foster, Margot Kidder and Sean McCann. British soldiers battle the Provisional Irish Republican Army in early 1970s Belfast. The film was based on a play by Andrew Dalrymple and was filmed in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland.

Contents

Plot Summary

Charlie McLarnon, a Protestant Northern Irish dog breeder, has been training and fasting his greyhound "Duke of Donegal" in preparation for a race. On the day of the race he is spied upon, and rumor of the dog's speed quickly spreads.

John Slattery is a middle-aged, single Catholic Northern Irishman who manages a betting shop in Belfast. The shop is owned by Mr. Collins (née Spiegel), an Austrian-Jewish immigrant. John's only employee is Tim Horgan, a naive young man with a speech defect. The shop has a small group of regulars, notably Mrs. McDuatt, a cantankerous widow pensioner. Mr. Collins phones John to tell him he is preparing to sell the shop, and instructs John and Tim to get the shop in order for the buyer's viewing.

John lives at home with his mother and his younger sister Brigit Slattery, who has a British soldier for a boyfriend. The soldier and his comrades are stationed nearby to keep the peace in the neighborhood, armed with tear gas and shields, while local boys regularly hurl rocks and insults at them. When Brigit reveals she and the soldier are engaged to be married, John strongly disapproves.

Peter O'Lurgan, a Catholic serial bomber wanted by the authorities, is a friend of John's and a hero of Tim's. On this day he imposes on John to use the betting shop as a safe house to work on a pair of bombs and enlists Tim's aid in planting them. The betting shop is usually quiet, but on this day a steady stream of punters betting on "Duke of Donegal" forces John to take measures to cover the spread. Meanwhile, Peter arms the two bombs he has built, one timed for twelve minutes and the other for two hours, and instructs Tim to place the twelve-minute bomb in a nearby grocery store. After Tim leaves, Peter discovers Tim has taken the wrong bomb, and disarms the twelve-minute bomb with moments to spare. When Tim returns, Peter makes Tim aware of his mistake, causing him to faint.

Brigit has an identical twin sister, Thelma, who married and emigrated to Canada years ago and has recently returned to visit the family. Brigit and Thelma are reunited and go shopping, buying a pair of identical polka-dot dresses. Thelma wears her dress outside and is kidnapped by three youths who mistake her for Brigit and disapprove of Brigit's engagement to the British soldier. They bind and gag Thelma, drive her to a secret location, tie her to a post and tar and feather her.

Peter resets the timer of the bomb in the betting shop and goes to the grocery store himself to retrieve and reset the two-hour bomb. He leaves the grocery store with the bomb and heads back toward the betting shop. He is swarmed by a group of young boys recently scattered by tear gas from the soldiers. The boys steal the paper bag containing Peter's bomb and pass it around in front of him. The bomb detonates, critically injuring Peter and most of the boys. The explosion attracts John, to whom Peter gives his gun and an urgent warning to disarm the other bomb.

The "Duke of Donegal" has won the race and most of the punters who bet on the dog promptly return to the shop to collect their winnings. Tim is working alone in the shop and is overwhelmed by the customers, with insufficient funds to cover the bets. Just then Mr. Collins and his buyer appear outside. The bomb detonates, killing everyone inside the shop. The shop buyer is also killed and an injured Mr. Collins enters the shop to survey the carnage. The "Duke of Donegal", the lone survivor, runs outside.

Hearing the blast of the second bomb, John hurries toward the shop, holding Peter's gun. On his way there, the three youths stop their car in front of him and dump the tarred and feathered Thelma on the curb. John, mistaking her for Brigit, shoots the three youths. Brigit's soldier fiancé arrives, also mistakes Thelma for Brigit, and assumes John is the one who assaulted her. John is shot by the soldier before he can identify himself and explain the situation. The soldier in turn is shot by a rooftop sniper. The closing camera shot zooms in on a pair of Catholic and Protestant churches, physically close together but divided by ideology, symbolizing the Northern Irish troubles.

Cast

Awards

Margot Kidder won Best Performance by a Lead Actress at the Canadian Film Awards in 1975. The film was also a nominee for Best Feature Film, but did not win. [1]

Related Research Articles

Ulster Volunteer Force Ulster loyalist paramilitary group formed in 1965

The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles. It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have continued to engage in violence and criminal activities. The group is a proscribed organisation and is on the terrorist organisation of the United Kingdom.

Lurgan Town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland

Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh. Lurgan is about 18 miles (29 km) south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin railway line. It had a population of about 25,000 at the 2011 Census and is within the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon district. For some purposes, Lurgan is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area" along with neighbouring Craigavon and Portadown.

Events from the year 1889 in Ireland.

This is a chronology of activities by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1970 to 1979.

Sean Kelly, is a former Irish republican volunteer in the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), who was a member of the active service unit which carried out the Shankill Road bombing in 1993. Kelly was convicted of nine counts of murder, but was released in 2000 as part of the Good Friday Agreement.

1969 Northern Ireland riots Series of political and sectarian riots in August 1969

During 12–16 August 1969, there was an outbreak of political and sectarian violence throughout Northern Ireland, which is often seen as the beginning of the thirty-year conflict known as the Troubles. There had been sporadic violence throughout the year arising out of the Northern Ireland civil rights campaign, which demanded an end to discrimination against Catholics and Irish nationalists. Civil rights marches had been attacked by Protestant loyalists, and protesters often clashed with the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the overwhelmingly Protestant police force.

Protestant Action Force

The name Protestant Action Force (PAF) was used by loyalists, especially members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), to claim responsibility for a number of paramilitary attacks during the Troubles. It was first used in this context in 1974, and has since been used to claim the killings of at least 41 Catholic civilians.

Tommy McKearney

Tommy McKearney is a former Irish volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army who took part in the 1980 hunger strike.

The McMahon killings or the McMahon murders occurred on 24 March 1922 when six Catholic civilians were shot dead at the home of the McMahon family in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A group of police officers broke into their house at night and shot all eight males inside, in an apparent sectarian attack. The victims were businessman Owen McMahon, four of his sons, and one of his employees. Two others were shot but survived, and a female family member was assaulted. The survivors said most of the gunmen wore police uniform and it is suspected they were members of the Ulster Special Constabulary (USC). It is believed to have been a reprisal for the Irish Republican Army's (IRA) killing of two policemen the day before.

Billy Hanna

William Henry Wilson Hanna MM was a high-ranking Ulster loyalist who founded and led the Mid-Ulster Brigade of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) until he was killed, allegedly by Robin Jackson, who took over command of the brigade.

This is a timeline of actions by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), a loyalist paramilitary group formed in 1971. Most of these actions took place during the conflict known as "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland. The UDA's declared goal was to defend Loyalist areas from attack and to combat Irish republican paramilitaries. However, most of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often chosen at random.

This is a timeline of actions by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group since 1966. It includes actions carried out by the Red Hand Commando (RHC), a group integrated into the UVF shortly after their formation in 1972. It also includes attacks claimed by the Protestant Action Force (PAF), a covername used by the UVF. Most of these actions took place during the conflict known as "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland.

This is a chronology of activities by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1980 to 1989. For actions before and after this period see Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions.

This is a chronology of activities by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), from 1992 to 1999.

UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade formed part of the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force in Northern Ireland. The brigade was established in Lurgan, County Armagh in 1972 by its first commander Billy Hanna. The unit operated mainly around the Lurgan and Portadown areas. Subsequent leaders of the brigade were Robin Jackson, known as "The Jackal", and Billy Wright. The Mid-Ulster Brigade carried out many attacks, mainly in Northern Ireland, especially in the South Armagh area, but it also extended its operational reach into the Republic of Ireland. Two of the most notorious attacks in the history of the Troubles were carried out by the Mid-Ulster Brigade: the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the Miami Showband killings in 1975. Members of the Mid-Ulster Brigade were part of the Glenanne gang which the Pat Finucane Centre has since linked to at least 87 lethal attacks in the 1970s.

1997 Northern Ireland riots Mass protests and riots in Northern Ireland in 1997

From 6 to 11 July 1997 there were mass protests, fierce riots and gun battles in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland. Irish nationalists/republicans, in some cases supported by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), attacked the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and British Army. The protests and violence were sparked by the decision to allow the Orange Order to march through a Catholic/nationalist neighbourhood of Portadown. Irish nationalists were outraged by the decision and by the RUC's aggressive treatment of those protesting against the march. There had been a bitter dispute over the march for many years.

Donegall Street bombing 1972 IRA attack during The Troubles in Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Donegall Street bombing took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 20 March 1972 when, just before noon, the Provisional IRA detonated a car bomb in Lower Donegall Street in the city centre when the street was crowded with shoppers, office workers, and many schoolchildren.

1973 Old Bailey bombing Provisional IRA bombing of Old Bailey in 1973

The 1973 Old Bailey bombing was a car bomb attack carried out by the Provisional IRA (IRA) which took place outside the Old Bailey Courthouse on 8 March 1973. The attack was carried out by an 11-person active service unit (ASU) from the Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade. The unit also exploded a second bomb which went off outside the Ministry of Agriculture near Whitehall in London at around the same time the bomb at the Old Bailey went off. This was the Provisional IRA's first major attack in England since the Troubles began in the late 1960s. One British civilian died of a heart attack attributed to the bombing, estimates of the injured range from 180 to 220 from the two bombings. Two additional bombs were found and defused. Nine people from Belfast were convicted six months later for the bombing, one person managed to escape and one was acquitted for providing information to the police.

This is a timeline of actions by the Official Irish Republican Army, an Irish republican & Marxist-Leninist paramilitary group. Most of these actions took place as part of a Guerrilla campaign against the British Army & Royal Ulster Constabulary and internal Irish Republican feuds with the Provisional IRA & Irish National Liberation Army from the early 1970s - to the mid-1970s during the most violent phase of "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland.

This is a chronology of activities by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), in 1990 and 1991.

References

  1. "Best-film showdown: 11 vie for all-Canadian honours". Ottawa Journal . October 3, 1975. p. 39. Retrieved March 28, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Lock-green.svg