- [Speaking to people outside the court]
- Gerry Conlon: I'm an innocent man. I spent 15 years in prison for something I didn't do. I watched my father die in a British prison for something he didn't do. And this government still says he's guilty. I want to tell them that until my father is proved innocent, until all the people involved in this case are proved innocent, until the guilty ones are brought to justice, I will fight on. In the name of my father and of the truth!
- [after his case is dismissed, and the guards try to escort him out]
- Gerry Conlon: I'm a free man, and I'm going out the front door.
- Gerry Conlon: When can I go back to Belfast?
- Detective: Next time you'll see Belfast, they'll be flying day trips to the moon.
- Gerry Conlon: I always wanted to be an astronaut.
- Gerry Conlon: What I remember most about my childhood is holding your hand. My wee hand in your big hand, and the smell of tobacco. I remember, I could smell the tobacco in the palm of your hand. When I want to feel happy, I try to remember the smell of tobacco.
- Giuseppe Conlon: Hold my hand.
- Gareth Peirce: It's not the stairs that are killing your father.
- Gerry Conlon: Aye, what is it then?
- Gareth Peirce: It's your lack of faith.
- Gerry Conlon: Lack of faith? Faith in what?
- Gareth Peirce: In yourself.
- Gerry Conlon: No. I have faith in myself. Gerry Conlon. Lifer. 30-year sentence. And I know how to survive it, no problem.
- Gareth Peirce: At what price?
- Gerry Conlon: I'll pay the fuckin' price, don't you worry about it.
- Gareth Peirce: The price for what?
- Gerry Conlon: Aye. You're very good at the English, aren't you? You see, I don't understand your language. "Justice." "Mercy." "Clemency." I literally don't understand what those words mean. I'd like to put in an application to get all my teeth extracted. That way I could put my fist in my mouth and never speak another word of fuckin' English so long as I live. Do you see what I'm saying... Mrs. Peirce is it?
- Gareth Peirce: Are you trying to impress me?
- Gerry Conlon: Was I always bad, was I?
- Giuseppe Conlon: Not always.
- Gerry Conlon: I don't deserve to spend the rest of my life in here do I?
- Giuseppe Conlon: All they done was block out the light.
- [points to his head]
- Giuseppe Conlon: They can't block out the light in here.
- [On the alibi for Gerry Conlon and Paul Hill]
- Appeal Prosecutor: My Lord, this is new evidence.
- Appeal Judge: It is shocking new evidence.
- Appeal Prosecutor: My lord, this evidence was not submitted at the trial that is under appeal.
- Appeal Judge: That, I believe, is the point that Mrs Pierce is trying to make. Proceed, Mrs Pierce.
- [after hearing of his father's death]
- Gareth Peirce: [With tears in her eyes] Well, I think they ought to take the word 'compassion' out of the English dictionary.
- Giuseppe Conlon: I'm going to die.
- Gerry Conlon: Don't be saying that.
- Giuseppe Conlon: I'm scared.
- Gerry Conlon: There's no reason to be scared. You have nothing to be scared about.
- Giuseppe Conlon: Don't you be comforting me when I can see the truth staring me in the face. I'm scared I'm gonna die here.
- Gerry Conlon: You're not dying alright?
- Giuseppe Conlon: Can I not say a thing without you contradicting me? I'm scared to leave your mother behind.
- Gerry Conlon: Look, you are not going to die alright? If you do, sure I can look after Ma alright.
- Giuseppe Conlon: You think I'd leave Sarah in your care?
- Gerry Conlon: What do you mean?
- Giuseppe Conlon: You haven't the maturity to take care of yourself, let alone your mother.
- Giuseppe Conlon: I want you have some respect.
- Gerry Conlon: Respect for who?
- Giuseppe Conlon: For yourself.
- [Gerry looks at their "Map of the British Empire" jigsaw puzzle]
- Gerry Conlon: Where's all the missing pieces?
- Prisoner: We eat it up, man. Before my woman sent it in here, right, she have it dipped in liquid acid. LSD, man. We've been dropping the British Empire for the last six months! You want to fly, pick a country.
- [Gerry is astonished]
- Gerry Conlon: Fuck sake, don't give me Northern Ireland. I don't want a bad trip.
- Prisoner: Try Nepal, man. Take you to the Himalayas.
- Gerry Conlon: I'll be older than you when I get out of this place. If I get out. Are you listening to me?
- Giuseppe Conlon: I'm not talking to you.
- Gerry Conlon: Now who's being childish?
- Giuseppe Conlon: I've not heard a sensible word out of you in two weeks. That stuff will kill you.
- [talking about drugs]
- Gerry Conlon: Sure I'm dead anyway. Look I'm sorry. I'll not take it again as long as you live. Are you happy now?
- Giuseppe Conlon: No.
- Gerry Conlon: Why not?
- Giuseppe Conlon: I don't want you to take it whether I live or die.
- Gerry Conlon: Oh, give me strength. Ok, I'll do nothing to annoy you in your grave. Now are you happy?
- Giuseppe Conlon: Is that a promise?
- Gerry Conlon: Ay, maybe.
- Gerry Conlon: That was a good day's work, McAndrew. A good day's work.
- Joe McAndrew: Get away from me.
- Gerry Conlon: You're not looking me in the eye when you're speaking to me. You see, I know how to look at people without blinking as well. In all my god-forsaken life I have never known what it was like to want to kill somebody until now. You're a brave man, Joe. A brave man.
- Carole Richardson: [seeing the sausages in Gerry's luggage] They have a dead pig in here!
- Gerry Conlon: Just some sausages.
- [everyone in the commune look disgusted]
- Deptford Jim: We're all vegetarians here.
- Gerry Conlon: I've vegetarian. We're both vegetarian. I was just takin' them sausages to me Auntie Annie's. I have to be around there now. I'll be back in a few minutes.
- [later Gerry and Paul are eating the sausages in Aunt Annie's home]
- Paul Hill: [holding up a sausage] Piggy.
- Gerry Conlon: [holding up his] ... and Porky.
- Giuseppe Conlon: Remember, honest money goes further.
- Gerry Conlon: [VoiceOver] Honest money goes further. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. He'd a cliche for every occasion.
- Gareth Peirce: You got 15 years of blood and sweat and pain from my client - whose only crime was that he was bloody well Irish. And he was foolish, and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time!
- Sarah Conlon: Listen, I know that child. I carried that child. If you're not gonna believe in him, I will.
- Giuseppe Conlon: You think he's innocent?
- Sarah Conlon: When your son walked through that door looking like a bloody circus clown, do you think he had murder in his eyes?
- Gerry Conlon: Look at you, you're a fucking nervous wreck. What's the matter with you?
- Paul Hill: I'm glad to get outta Belfast.
- Gerry Conlon, Paul Hill: [singing] Once upon a time you dressed so fine, Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
- Gerry Conlon: They terrorized me for seven days. After that, they threatened to kill my father. I'd have fucking signed anything after that. Excuse my language.
- Gerry Conlon: That's the first time I saw you, under a raining shower of sparks. It was the first time I'd seen a woman in five years, other than my mother. But to me, you were a lawyer first. And I hated lawyers.
- Gerry Conlon: I mean, we're innocent, we can't even go out of the cell. You're better off being guilty. At least you get some respect.
- Sarah Conlon: I'm worried about Bridie.
- Giuseppe Conlon: Why?
- Sarah Conlon: She's dyed her hair blonde.
- Giuseppe Conlon: Well, she's only young.
- Sarah Conlon: She's wearing a dog collar. There's a fella chained to it. He's got one on too.
- Giuseppe Conlon: Well, as long as she's happy.
- Gerry Conlon: Strange what time does when you're in prison. Like, you can be staring at the wall. Drip, drip, drip. It takes an eternity. And then you blink, and three years have gone by.
- Giuseppe Conlon: Don't you be comforting me when I can see the truth staring me in the face. I'm scared I'm gonna die here - among strangers.
- Gerry Conlon: You're not fucking dying, all right.
- Giuseppe Conlon: Can I not say a thing without you fucking contradicting me?
- Gerry Conlon: In prison, you pray for anything to break the monotony. A snowstorm is like a present from God.
- Giuseppe Conlon: Every night, I take your mother's hand in mine. We go out the front door, into Cyprus Street down to Falls Road, up the Antrim Road to Cave Hill. We look back down on poor, troubled Belfast. I've been doing that every night, for five years now. As if I never left your mother.
- Gareth Peirce: We'll get them in court.
- Gerry Conlon: "We'll get them in court"? For fuck's sake, will you catch yourself? They've kept us in prison for 15 years. They can keep us in for another 15. This is the fucking government, Gareth! It's the fucking government! What are they gonna say? "We're sorry about that? Made a wee bit of a mistake, but you can be on your way now." What are they gonna say? "Sorry we killed your Dad. Sorry we fucked your fucking life to hell." What are they gonna say?
- Gareth Peirce: [testifying in court] My lord, this alibi for Gerry Conlon was taken by Mr Dixon one month after Gerry Conlon was arrested. This note was attached to it when I found it in police files. It reads, 'not to be shown to the defence'.
- [crowd murmurs]
- Gareth Peirce: I have one question to ask you, Mr Dixon. Why was the alibi for Gerry Conlon, who was charged with the murder of five innocent people, kept from the defence?
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