Keith McKibbin

The Twelfth Man Keith McKibbin

County Down, Northern Ireland, 1974. Kevin McBride is barely five years old when an atrocity is perpetrated within earshot of his house. Yet it is of only passing intrigue. He has been born into the Troubles and become immune to the violence, obscene acts that once might have ground society to a halt. A Protestant country for Protestant people, Kevin has his own troubles. He hates primary school and his brother hates him. He fears the very real possibility that he will find himself bound for the dreaded high school, to be used as a toilet brush by the big boys who rain down abuse every lunch time. To avoid this fate he must pass the horrid Eleven Plus examination. Ronald Douglas is fascinated by the Troubles and awakens in Kevin a yearning to understand and appreciate why so many Catholics and Protestants detest each other. As the violence escalates, Kevin finds himself drawn away from all he knows and his family begin to wonder if this newcomer has a darker motivation. The story reaches its climax during the 1981 hunger strikes, when they become obsessed with Bobby Sands and his demands for political status. What the boys decide to do destroys their friendship and has fatal consequences...