You can't do this to me!
l want American public support and...
...recognition from the U.S. for an lrish Republic.
l want international opinion brought to bear on the British government.
There's only one force they understand and you know it!
Our job is at home!
Our job is where l say it is.
As president of the lrish Republic...
...l want recognition from the U.S.
Go to America then, blast you! But leave me Boland!
What's so special about Harry?
-l can't do it without him. -Do what?
l can't run a war without Harry Boland!
You could run it without me.
Christ, all of Dublin must be out there, Harry.
Look! Look at the face on Smith.
So near, yet he can't touch him.
Don't worry. He'll try.
Not here, he won't.
No. But we can't let the Long Fella hang around.
Harry, come on! Move!
Dev!
Chief!
Good luck, mates.
-Open up! -Get out of my house!
Upstairs!
Remember one thing. You're my chief, always!
Go on!
Move!
Since you Dublin boyos can't sort out this Collins...
...l suppose it's up to us.
Files on the lRB, England, Scotland, America.
The lrish Volunteers.
Sinn Fein, more Sinn Fein.
Forget files!
l want anyone with a remote connection to this geezer lifted! Tonight!
lt's not that simple, sir.
But it is that simple, Mr. Broy.
We'll make it that simple.
There's a new regime in here...
...and it's starting now!
Good day, Mr. Broy.
Belfast efficiency's what they need.
Passport. You're Harry Clyne till you get there.
Here's a birth-cert for you, some money and the like.
There.
Thanks, Mick.
Fuck and blast him! l told him l can't do without you!
Why do you think he chose me?
He's scared to leave us together.
We might achieve the Republic he's talking to the world about.
l don't know.
They're filling up the Castle from Belfast. Things'll get rough.
Rougher than we can imagine.
You don't let them near you, hear me?
Don't let them near you.
They can't imagine a gunman in a pinstriped suit on a bicycle.
Fuck it. lt's worked for us so far.
Let's hope my luck holds and the wheels don't buckle.
-Coming to the train? -l will.
There's someone to say hello to.
Yeah? l wonder who that is, now.
She needs looking after while l'm away.
-He's leaving me, Mick. -l thought he was leaving me.
Shut up, you two. l'm leaving no one.
Do all the women in America wear trousers?
Yes. Shameless hussies, the lot of them.
Did you hear?
A butterfly's been seen in West Clare.
lts wings are green, white and yellow.
lt's a sign.
My foot.
-l'm telling you. -Know the problem of butterflies?
-What? -They only last one day.
But what a day, Mick.
-This one's empty. -What a day.
l leave you so. Here's your ticket.
lt'll be all right.
l pray it will.
See you, Mick.
l don't want to go.
-Will you write? -l will.
You promise?
See you.
Papers, miss.
Lads, lads...
...let a man say good-bye to his wife in peace.
Sorry, Kitty.
We call it taking liberties.
l promised Harry l'd look after you.
Come on.
Take a section each.
The sooner we finish, the sooner we go home.
Toothcomb, gentlemen.
Toothcomb.
Black and Tan scum!
Fuck off!
We put up with this bollox every fucking day!
Stupid lrish cow!
l love trains. Don't you, Ned?
What's so special about them?
They make me think of places l know l'll never see.
They're the elite of the British Secret Service.
Churchill handpicked them.
Give me everything you've got.
No addresses?
They keep to themselves.
They were sent here for one reason.
To eliminate you and your boys.
l can't hold on much longer, Mick.
lt's pulling me to ribbons.
Neither can l, Ned. But sure keep it a secret.
Doesn't he have a face, this Collins?
Doesn't he have corporeal form?
This the best you've got?
Afraid so, sir.
That'll be all, boy.
Broy, sir.
Broy.
Yes. Broy.
Trouble you for a light, sir?
Ta.
So that's Mr. Soames. How many to go?
Nineteen.
Tom, move.
l'll handle it, Liam. Tom.
How are you, Charlie?
This is Rosie.
How are you? Sit down.
Tell him about Mr. Soames.
Well, he tips me every day.
Not like some.
What time does he get up?
l come in at nine.
He's washing behind the screen, so l don't see him.
l empty the basket and take the linen.
And then he reaches over the screen with a half-crown.
You shouldn't take it.
He's a gentleman.
And you're a lady. Shut up, you.
Thank you, Mr. Collins.
Show him what you got from the basket.
Ta.
Come on.
God bless you, Rosie.
We've got them.
They have more experience.
You'll get only once chance. lt's either them or us.
We hit them at daybreak. lf you're not up to it, say so now.
l know what some of you have been through.
There's no shame in pulling out.
Thank you.
Don't stay in your usual places...
...Vaughan's, Cleary's Pub.
lf any of us are lifted, we're dead!
Understood?
Let's go.
l got a message for you from Kitty.
-Where is she? -Vaughan's.
Get your things, Kitty.
-Couldn't you say hello? -Hello.
-What are you doing? -Harry told me to look out for you.
You've heard of common courtesy?
No.
Kitty, please. You can't stay here.
-Why? -Don't ask questions.
Come on!
lf any of our lads come in, tell them to stay somewhere else.
-Where? -Anywhere else! And look sharp!
Sufficient unto the day the evil there of, boy?
Yes, sir.
Or is it Broy?
Broy, sir.
Good night.
Stay on him.
You're hurting me.
l said, you're hurting me!
Kitty, please.
Please.
The Gresham.
Can't tell you...no, everything's fine.
Call me if anything's up.
Come in!
Where will you have it, Mr. Grace?
Here.
-Ta. -Thank you.
l'm going, Mick.
You can't! Why do you think l brought you here?
l don't know why!
Vaughan's isn't safe.
Not tonight.
Sweet mother of God!
What was on the paper, Paddy?
Words.
Just words.
What's happening tonight?
You don't want to know.
Am l allowed to guess?
Heard from Harry?
Yes.
He wrote.
He always writes.
When you both came to Granard the first time, you....
But he was the one that wrote.
Why was that, Mick?
He's the writing type, Harry.
What type are you?
Let me go!
l know exactly where l'm going!
l can walk!
Promise me something, Kitty.
Anything.
Promise me you'll never care about me. Please.
l promise.
That's the trouble with the lrish. They sing at the drop of a hat.
Ask them to talk and they won't.
Do what you have to do.
You've sent your boys out, haven't you?
It's written on your face.
Every step they take.
Like so many valentines.
Delivering bouquets.
Do you send a love note, Mick...
...with the flowers?
What does it say?
Do it now!
Jesus!
Come on!
Go!
lt says, 'Leave us be! '
ls that all?
Not very romantic.
Move away from her.
You could at least spare my wife this spectacle.
Take her outside.
l'm not his bloody wife!
Say your prayers.
You know what it says, Kitty?
lt says, 'Give us the future. We've had enough of your past.'
The Lord is my shepherd....
''Give us our country back...
''...to live in...
''...to grow in...
''...to love. ''
So there is love there, Mick.
Hang on, Rosie.
Clean sheets, l think.
Come on!
So, Mick...
...flowers delivered.
Do you think they got the message?
Any casualties?
Are you deaf?
Broy.
Ned - fucking - Broy!
What are you talking about? Broy wasn't out.
They lifted him at Vaughan's.
What was he doing?
Oh, sweet mother of Jesus.
Can't risk it any longer, Mick.
Who'll give in first, Joe?
Us or them?
The body or the lash?
You look like a gangster!
You look like a ghost!
Welcome back, Harry!
How are you keeping?
Grand.
You're famous over there.
Where?
Over there, you thick.
So, how was America?
Great.
Dev never got to meet the President.
l didn't think he would.
How are you?
l'm grand.
Welcome back, chief.
The Big Fella sends his regards.
We'll see who is the big fella.
Apologies, gentlemen.
As you may know...
...we have had some communication from the British side.
There is a slim possibility...
...that they might want to talk.
But our...
...tactics...
...allowed the British press to paint us as murderers.
lf we are to negotiate as a legitimate government...
...our armed forces must act...
...like a legitimate army.
What exactly do you mean, Dev?
l mean large-scale engagements.
You mean, like in 1916?
The great heroic ethic of failure...
...marching to slaughter.
Why don't we save them the bother and blow our own brains out?
How dare you!
How did we get them to this point...
...to consider talking?
We brought them to their knees the only way we could!
They call us...
...murderers.
War is murder! Sheer, bloody murder!
Had you been here the past year, you'd know that!
l propose an assault...
...on the administrative center of British rule in lreland:
The Customs House.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
How many lost?
6 dead, 70 taken! Bloody fiasco!
Christ, not again!
The guns!
We need the guns!
Leave them!
There's nothing we can do.
How much longer can we hold out?
Four weeks. But keep it a secret.
As little as that?
Unless we use bows and arrows.
Don't be flippant, Michael.
We nearly lost 80 men last week, Dev.
You tell him, Harry.
He's right, chief.
l lied.
You lied? About what?
We can't hold out for another week.
Christ! Do they know that?
Nobody knows.
Mick, Dev's negotiating.
Yes, so he doesn't know either.
lt's very important he doesn't know.
The world must believe we're invincible.
Maybe then we can talk.
Jesus Christ.
Kitty's down.
So l heard.
ls she down to see you or me?
Maybe both of us.
You take her down to Kingstown. Get some sea air.
No, why don't you take her?
No, you take her.
-No, you take her. -No, you do.
A horse called 'lrish Republic' ran at Donnybrook today.
What were the odds?
-50-to-1 . -Jesus, some odds, what?
There's 100,000 Tommies here and not 2,000 of us.
l'd say 50-to-1 is optimistic.
Optimistic or no...
...she won.
No, you're joking?
10 bob each way, that makes $5...
...plus the place money, $10.
So l won...
...$3,10, thank you very much.
Let the lrish Republic buy us dinner.
l know just where to go.
Which one of you will ask me to dance?
-Me, me, me, please! -No, l will. l will.
Heads, it's Harry. Tails, it's Mick.
-Kitty, may l have the pleasure? -The gangster wins again.
Watch his feet, Kitty.
Shut up, you.
l shouldn't have left, should l?
Why not?
l was a length ahead.
Now where am l?
lt's not a race, Harry.
Mind telling me what it is, then?
You without him...
...him without you...
...l can't imagine it.
Three-legged race.
Mick, where the hell have you been?
For God's sake, give me one free night to be a human being!
We looked all over! Have you heard?
No, l haven't heard!
Would the bloody lrish Republic leave me some time off?
lt's over!
What's over?
lt's over.
They called a truce.
lt's finished?
-The whole damn thing. -Yes.
We've won?
Lloyd George has thrown in the towel?
We've brought the British Empire to its knees?
Yes.
Why the fuck didn't you say so?
What was that horse called?
We did it! We did it! lt's a truce!
What?
You must be joking?
No. l won't do it.
l'm not a politician. l'm not going to London.
You're the strongest card we have.
They call me an assassin and a murderer!
Will Churchill even shake my hand?
We've broached it and had no objections.
You go, Dev.
You're the statesman.
You know how far we can push them. They know you.
That's the point. They don't know you.
Don't do this to me, Dev. Don't do it.
l'm no good at talk. l'm a yob from West Cork.
Please!
You'll head our team, Michael...
...to negotiate a treaty for the first time in history...
...between lreland and England.
We need to keep a final arbitrator in reserve.
You.
That will be the lrish people.
And me...
...as president of the lrish Republic.
Why does he want me there?
Why?
-You put the fear of God into them. -Save me the bullshit.
Mick, you are the strongest card we have.
What's he up to?
-What are you talking about? -l have one simple asset.
All these years, no one knows what l look like.
Which one of you is Michael Collins?
He is.
That's him.
The small fella.
'From your very own plenipotentiary, to the provisions of the said document...
'...hereinafter to be referred to as The Letter:
'They didn't defeat us by force of arms...
'...but now they'll try to do it by force of verbiage.
'The English language wasn't meant to be spoken like that.
'How did these people ever get to run an empire?'
Don't.
Why not?
'Cause you'll get hurt.
How will l get hurt?
l'm in love with him.
l'm sorry.
l have to tell you.
Have you told him?
No.
And maybe l never will.
l'm only telling you because l can't hurt you.
Lucky Mick.
I did my best, Kitty, but it won't be good enough.
We'll have an Irish Free State, instead of an Irish Republic.
We'll have our own government.
But we have to swear allegiance to the English Crown.
The position of the north will be reviewed...
...but now it remains part of the British Empire.
This treaty is just a stepping stone.
I hope the country sees it as such.
How are you?
ls this true?
lt's the best anyone could have got.
This gives up the north...
...divides the country.
You expect us to give an oath of allegiance to the Crown?
They can't comprehend giving us the Republic.
And that's why Dev sent me.
What?
He knew we'd get no Republic.
He wanted me to bring back the bad news.
We can use the lrish Free State to achieve the Republic we want.
lt's either this or war.
l won't go to war over words.
What if it's war either way, Mick?
You published the terms without my agreement!
-They were the best we could get. -ln your opinion!
You sent me there knowing they were the best we'd get.
-ldle speculation. -No, it's the truth.
Or else you'd have gone yourself.
We don't have the Republic...
...but freedom to achieve it. Peacefully.
Surely it's time for peace.
What would you know about peace?
You said we could negotiate on behalf of our government...
...the D il and the lrish people.
lf they reject it, l'll reject it.
lf they stand by it, l'll stand by it.
l want to know you'll do the same.
Will you come in for a pint?
He's read the papers.
Say something, would you?
l've known the two of you for four years.
You've slept together, lived together, fought together.
But your war is over now.
What if it's just the beginning?
Christ.
l'd be better off in Longford.