The Ballad of Michael Sam

In 1918, as my 14 year old Grandfather; Michael Sam, was walking along a country road on a summer’s day, he spied a vase with three butterflies painted on it: one green, one white, one gold, the colours of the Irish tricolour. The vase was in the porch of a country cottage in East Cork. A young girl; Nora, was playing inside the cottage. Sam spotted a British military vehicle approaching and hid in a ditch near the cottage. The vehicle came to an abrupt halt outside the cottage, 6 soldiers got out, broke in the door of the cottage violently and smashed the vase raucously, spat in Nora’s face and departed in their truck.

What follows is the story of the aftermath of this event. Some is fictitious and some is factual. 

Sam emerges from the ditch with a folder in his hands that he has stolen from the truck. He brings the folder to his father and three fishermen who are on the shore nearby repairing nets. 

Sam’s father reads through the folder, learns that the truck is here to arrest a local IRA man, and says that they must free him from the prison at the local barracks. 

Sam, as the smallest and lightest of them, climbs a drainpipe to gain access to the prison. Whilst on the roof he overhears a conversation between the British commander and an informer; The Rooker, wherein it is revealed that the British will raid the village and take every man to the prison for interrogation.

Sam sneaks through the prison and frees the imprisoned IRA man and carries the information of the impending British raid back to his father.

His father decides that they must blow the bridge leading to their village. The bridge is heavily defended and Sam’s father and the three fishermen will need help. Sam’s father recruits Margaret; a precision markswoman, Aodh; a gentleman traveller who is a bareknuckle fighter champion and has the strength of ten men and Freddy; a wealthy protestant man who is an expert in explosives.Seven magnificent and multi skilled recruits!

At a meeting in the local pub which The Rooker has informed the military about there is a bloody gunfight in which one of the seven IRA members is killed when the military ambush them inside.This death means that Sam must now join them on the bridge attack as a lookout and runner.

To procure the explosives Sam, his father, the sharpshooter Margaret, Aodh the gentleman traveller and Freddy the Protestant explosives expert raid a lighthouse using a Galway hooker.The remaining members are getting three currachs ready for the attack on the bridge.

Back ashore Sam and the ever jocular Aodh visit The Rookers house while The Rooker sleeps.They first disassemble and then reassemble his horse cart piece by piece inside his kitchen, finally attaching his horse to it before locking his front door and climbing through a window. This will prevent The Rooker from raising the alarm about the bridge attack.

The seven members of the bridge blowing party travel upriver in three currachs. Sam goes ashore at a wooded part of the river to make sure the way is clear when he is accosted by a soldier on sentry duty. Just as the soldier is about to shoot Margaret the sharpshooter appears noiselessly and effortlessly dispatches the armed man. Upon arriving at the bridge they realise that the military raid is happening hours earlier than planned but they still manage to blast the bridge sky high and escape in the nick of time.

THE ABOVE IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF CONOR SLATTERY & CENTAURI FILMS.

THE ROOKER'S HOUSE