Five Minutes of Heaven

For me to talk about the man I have become, you need to know about the man I was.

I was 14 when I joined the Tartan Gangs ...

and I was 15 when I joined the UVF, the Ulster Volunteer Force.

At that time, don't forget, there were riots on the streets,

every week, petrol bombs every day and that was just in our town.

When you got home and switched on the TV, you could see it was happening in every other town as well.

And it was like we were under siege.

Fathers and brothers of friends were being killed in the streets.

And the feeling was, we all have to do something.

We're all in this together and we all have to do something.

~ The Republican Clubs. ~ Thanks.

~ And after the overnight shootings in Belfast, three men are still seriously ill. ~

~ Also, as we talk to The Fianna Fail Party about their changed policy to Northern Ireland, ~

~ The Republican Clubs Movement has suspended meetings and warned members to be on their guard ... ~

~ after last night's widespread attacks upon its members. ~

~ Despite the many shootings only one man was killed. In another incident a 22-year old ... ~

Come on, come on, come on.

Fuck!

Come on, Mum!

Get down!

Wait ...

Oi! Fuck! Run!

All right there, kid? Hi, Jim.

All right?

Heya, Da.

Hi, Jim. Are you ready for your tea? Thanks, Ma. Go and take a seat and I'll bring it in to you.

Hey, Jim, Chrissie called for you.

He asked if you were going out later. I called him earlier.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,

eight, nine, ten.

OK.

One, two, three!

Come on! I'm doing it! They'll know!

They've left us some buns.

We've four fucking buns!

What sort of buns? Iced. What colour? Pink.

Pink! How did they know?

Ah, fucking hell. Eh?

Fucking hell!

All right, Stuart? All right. I'll be right with you.

All right there, Mr. Little, Mrs. Little?

Hello, Stuart. Hello.

He is still alive, isn't he?

I like this fella here.

Aye, he's not bad.

All right. I'll see you later.

No drinking now. No, Mum. They don't serve drinks at the hop.

Sure, he's a lemonade boy, Mrs. Little, you don't need to worry.

You have a nice evening.

Did Sammy visit? Aye, it's all in the bag.

So what's the craic? I'll tell you in the car.

39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 ...

45, 46, 47, 48 ... Go into the house.

Yes, Ma. Now! Yes, Ma.

50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56

57, 58 ...

See you later, kiddo ... 60, 61 ... All right, Joe ... 62,

63, 64, 65, 66 ...

All right, lads. Where did you get that from? The Windsor. Does it run OK? Aye, it's OK.

Craig's barn.

OK, Stuart, open the bag.

He's wanting us to dig his gardens.

Right, this is what's going down.

You know Colin who works at Castle's Yard ... Aye, the stonemasons?

The Provies told him that if he didn't leave, he'd be stiffed,

so I sent the message back, "If you don't leave, it's one of youse who'll be stiffed."

They haven't withdrawn the threat.

So this is our first kill, boys.

I told Sammy that I wanted to do it. He said he'd check and see if there was anything else going down tonight.

He came back to me and said it was good to go.

"The hit's yours," he said. He told me I could pick up the piece. Where from?

You don't ask that. Let's see it, Alistair. Aye, go ahead open it up. What is it?

It's a 38. Smith and Wesson. Could you not get an automatic?

Nah, Stuart, this is better than automatics, they jam all the time.

With this, you know, it's not going to leave me there fucking clicking,

you know, standing there with a dick in my hand. Aye. How many rounds did you get?

Enough.

He must be reckoning we're good then to be getting a hit.

Well, this is the one I asked for so we better be. What did he say,

Sammy, when he said the hit was ours?

He just looked us in the eyes like he was, you know, he was proud of us.

I'm telling you, it was a good feeling. We'll be walking into that bar ten foot tall now, eh?

I can't wait for that.

We have to do it first, mind.

Can I hold it?

Give us a wee jig of it after you, will you?

Hey, give us a look.

Fucking hell, man! It's like fucking James Bond, eh?

Powerful, isn't it? Mad, isn't it?

Who is it?

Griffin.

Griffin? He was warned to leave the yard by the end of the week.

Hang on, Jim Griffin.

Aye. I know him. That's right.

Albert Street, aren't they?

He's leaving the yard anyway, isn't he? Setting out on his own?

Griffin, is he? That's what I'm hearing.

Oh, you mean Aye, that's what I'm hearing.

Hang on, can't be here in Lurgan.

Surely now, not two masons' yards in the one town?

They're going to be up and running by Christmas.

That's what I'm hearing. Well, he's still in Castle's now. So that's bad luck on him then. I know his mother.

She's our dinner lady at the apprenticeship.

Aye, I know the woman you mean. I don't know her, like, but I know who you mean.

Sure her sister Catherine works in the bread shop.

So is that her son we're doing? It's not Albert Street.

They used to be, I'm sure of it. It's Hill Street.

It's 37 Hill Street.

58, 59, 60, 61, 62,

63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 ...

Go on in now, son. And do as your brother says! Yes, Dad.

... 72, 73, 74, 75,

76, 77, 78,

79, 80, 81,

82, 83, 84 ...

When we've done it, we burn the car, we burn the gear,

we call Sammy and we go to the hop. We get seen around, a few dances and then we're back home.

Let's go.

37? You sure?

Aye, it's left.

Army! Down!

What's happened?

They're passing.

Go right. They've seen me indicating left now.

Go left then.

Just take us round the block, Andy. We'll come at it again.

Oh, fuck! What is it?

Lights have gone red. Where are the jeeps? We're right behind them. What?!

Are they staying in the vehicle? So far.

Alistair, this has got to be a no-goer.

Let's get out of here.

Aye, do you want to get out of here? No, don't! No!

Sammy'll think we've chickened. Are they doing anything? They're just sitting there.

Oh, fuck, Alistair!

Stay down!

We're off!

You play golf?

Did you watch me play? Joe. Didn't you do well!

I didn't do too badly. I should really?!

Oh! I've scored already! Could be a very short show! Right.

... 123, 124 ...

Joe? ... 125 ...

Come on, son.

I'm almost setting a record! 128,

129, 130,

131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137 ...

I've scored. Go! Go!

They have a 14-month-old.

Let's go.

Hi, Alistair. Hiya. Enjoy the evening. Behave yourselves!

No! You stop it, Mummy! Why didn't you do something?!

You didn't do anything!

Stop it, Mummy! Stop it!

You could have stopped him with a milk bottle or something!

Please, Mummy! Stop it, Mummy, please? Please?

Why didn't you? You killed him!

You killed him! NO! Ssh!

NO! NO!

NO! NO!

Never knew why that picture of a cat was there,

and the other one. Don't know what happened to that one.

I mean ...? What the fuck?

Sorry, what did you say? What?

Did you not just say something?

Was I talking to myself?

It gets me a good seat. I've had no-one sitting next to me for years.

One on one. For fuck's sake.

I mean, for fuck's sake.

Would you turn back? Are you wanting me to turn back?

I'd love you for it. I think I should get you there first, don't you?

I can take you back when I've got I'd rather eat my two fucking feet than you get me there.

Jesus, I mean ...

Do you want me to call them? I can call them.

No, you go on. You do your job.

They said to get you there.

And what? And what? Well, I know you have to get me there, that's why you're driving me there.

I mean did you say you wouldn't get me there?

You mean they mean I wouldn't get you there, that's why you have to get me there? Is that it?

It's something like that.

No, you drive, you do your job.

Do you mind? I don't want you getting in trouble.

I mean, Jesus, I'm in trouble, I can't have you in trouble, then we'll never get back.

So that last one you did, Alistair, the Kazakhs, sorry, no, the Cossacks ...

Kosovans. Kosovans. Aye, Albanian and Serb they are.

Aye, that's the one! That worked out quite nicely.

So, did they show it in the end then?

They did, about six months ago now.

I was looking out for it. Actually, I didn't see it myself. I was in South Africa at the time.

Swanning around the world talking about your feelings.

A ticket to paradise.

For killing a man! I mean, where would he have been without me?

40 years in the factory in Lurgan making egg cartons like the rest of us. Aye, not him!

He can make a living telling the Pope and the Queen, the Dalai fucking Lama ...