The Celtic Cross
an original play by
Matthew Jackson
photo copyright Alyson Sundal, 2009
JACOB: When are you Papist terrorists going to calm down and learn to live with us?
THOMAS: When we’re free.
photo copyright Alyson Sundal, 2009
In Northern Ireland, two communities are at odds with each other. Their conflict is not only political, but ideological. The Protestant Loyalist side believes that Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom. The Catholic Nationalist side believes that Northern Ireland should become part of the Republic of Ireland. “The Troubles” refer to the thirty years of violence and terrorism between these two groups. Peace resolutions in the late nineties brought an end to the sectarian violence, but the peace achieved is a shaky one.
The Celtic Cross is the story of the unlikely friendship that forms between Jacob and Thomas, two young men in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Jacob is a Protestant Loyalist and Thomas is a Catholic Nationalist. Set in the 1990s, these two men have lived their entire lives during “The Troubles.” Although they are conditioned to hate each other, an improbable friendship unfolds, but their circumstances force them to choose between their friendship and their beliefs.
The Celtic Cross is the story of the unlikely friendship that forms between Jacob and Thomas, two young men in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Jacob is a Protestant Loyalist and Thomas is a Catholic Nationalist. Set in the 1990s, these two men have lived their entire lives during “The Troubles.” Although they are conditioned to hate each other, an improbable friendship unfolds, but their circumstances force them to choose between their friendship and their beliefs.