Story of an Irish bastard struggling to provide for his family in the 80s, sacrificing in order to put food on the table and presents under the tree for his 5 daughters, second guessing whether or not he’s good enough for his wife – whether he’s good enough to be a man. The story follows the same arc as It’s a Wonderful Life, but rather than the narrator contemplating suicide, he wonders about not doing the right thing (in the abstract sense) to make his life easier. He rescues a young mother imprisoned in a magdalen laundry (forced labor prison run by a convent in league with Church which was bound to the state). It’s a subtle story, executed well and sprinkled with Irish lore.

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