It is November 1915 and two farm boys from Co Fermanagh, the Catholic turned atheist Francie Leonard and his Protestant best friend Archie Johnston join the Ulster 36th Division. They leave behind them Annie, Archie’s sister and Francie’s love. In a few months they will face the terrors of the Somme, where lives will be irrevocably changed. Seven years later, Francie is now an anti-Treaty IRA gunman on the run in May 1922, at the tail end of the Irish War of Independence. For Crozier, who harbours a deep hatred of Francie that dates back to the war, the capture is personal.

Source: The Irish Times March 01, 2021 06:00 UTC