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The Price Sisters’ Bond

Say Nothing

This flow traces the sisters’ intimacy from childhood through shared militant work and imprisonment to separation, political divergence, and grief.

increasingupBearing stren­gth in each eventdowndecreasing
Shared ChildhoodShared Childhood from "Say Nothing". Dotes and Mar Daily closeness Dolours and Marian share a bedroom and often a bed.
Dotes and Mar Daily closeness Dolours and Marian share a bedroom and often a bed. Their private language and constant companionship make them seem almost inseparable to people around them. A family world Their bond forms inside a home shaped by Albert Price’s stories of republican sacrifice. They face the same inheritance, though later they interpret its obligations differently.
Sisters on the MarchSisters on the March from "Say Nothing". A Shared Protest United in public action The sisters join the civil-rights march from Belfast to Derry together.
A Shared Protest United in public action The sisters join the civil-rights march from Belfast to Derry together. Their humor and lively conversation accompany their idealism. A shared shock They are caught in the violence at Burntollet Bridge. The attack becomes a turning point in both lives and draws them toward the same armed organization.
A Joint Underground LifeA Joint Underground Life from "Say Nothing". Companions in Danger Parallel service The sisters attend college by day and disappear into IRA work at night.
Companions in Danger Parallel service The sisters attend college by day and disappear into IRA work at night. They undertake operations together and share the exhilaration as well as the risks. A familiar pair Marian is consistently present in Dolours’s account of their work. Their closeness becomes part of how others understand the sisters’ public identity.
Together Through HungerTogether Through Hunger from "Say Nothing". Shared Endurance Mutual resolve In Brixton, the sisters refuse food together and face force-feeding together.
Shared Endurance Mutual resolve In Brixton, the sisters refuse food together and face force-feeding together. Dolours tells Marian that she will not leave the strike unless they leave as a pair. Survival depends on each other Their conversations and mutual vigilance help them withstand the physical ordeal. The strike intensifies a bond already established in childhood.
Separation and DivergenceSeparation and Divergence from "Say Nothing". The Sisters Part Ways Release breaks the pattern Marian leaves prison before Dolours, who feels as though her twin has been taken away.
The Sisters Part Ways Release breaks the pattern Marian leaves prison before Dolours, who feels as though her twin has been taken away. Dolours later turns from the IRA while Marian eventually returns to militant politics. Love amid disagreement They remain emotionally connected despite their different positions. Marian attends Dolours’s wake after her sister dies, briefly reuniting a bond that the conflict and prison have repeatedly strained.
1950s–1960s
January 1969
1971–1973
1973–1975
1980s–2013