Maria McDonald

Charlie Mac Maria McDonald

Murdered for his faith is written on his headstone. But it wasn't as simple as that. Charlie was shot dead in his Belfast home in February 1922, in front of his wife Mary Jane. This is his story. A story of love and family, of rebellion and partition. Charlie and Mary Jane brought up six children in turbulent times overshadowed by war at home and abroad. They had one son who was seriously injured in World War 1 fighting with the Royal Irish Rifles in support of Home Rule: Two sons who fought in the War of Independence with the Irish Volunteers while their section of Ireland was in the process of partition: One daughter who lost her sweetheart at the Somme and argued with her brothers over their choices at every stage and one daughter who played peacemaker at every stage. Charlie's story highlights the divisions that existed in Irish society at that time, the differences and the similarities of each opposing section and the effect on those living through it. Charlie and Mary Jane had a mixed marriage in a sectarian city, a city which was divided by religion and politics and eventually led to the division of a country. Theirs is not a story of rebellion and heroism, of freedom fighters or socialists; their story is not even a love story. This is just an ordinary tale of ordinary people trying to live their lives in extraordinary times.