Care Becomes Trespass

Cushla crosses social, religious and institutional boundaries to help the McGeowns, but each act of care carries new risks and unintended effects.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Child in the Rain

The Child in the Rain A boundary crossed gently Cushla gives Davy a lift and brings him into the staff toilet to dry him. Her intervention is practical and compassionate, but it begins a relationship beyond the classroom. Trust grows from attention She sees the child’s needs where other adults see a problem. That trust later draws her into the McGeown home and the family’s increasingly dangerous circumstances.

Entering the Estate

Entering the Estate A divided landscape Cushla drives Davy home through an estate marked by flags and sectarian slogans. She sees the pressure around the family rather than treating their poverty as a private failing. A cautious welcome Betty accepts the lift, and Cushla learns about the children’s home life. The visit crosses a social boundary that makes Cushla’s good intentions visible to neighbours and school authorities alike.

School Meals and Social Work

School Meals and Social Work Help sought indirectly Cushla tells Bradley that Betty is struggling, hoping the school will support Davy’s meals. Bradley reports the remark to social services as a welfare concern. Good intentions, harm Betty feels betrayed when a worker visits her home. Cushla’s attempt to help has crossed from informal care into institutional intervention without Betty’s consent.

Shelter After the Fire

Shelter After the Fire Immediate refuge Cushla rescues Davy from the burning house and drives the family to her own home. The decision responds to immediate danger rather than political calculation. Family resistance Eamonn insists that the McGeowns leave the next morning. Care has become a direct challenge to his sense of what the family can safely risk.

The Cost of Helping

The Cost of Helping Displacement continues Cushla takes the family to relatives near Short Strand, where they are left without their home or belongings. She cannot provide a lasting solution. Help under suspicion Police later connect Cushla to both Michael and Tommy and question her motives. The novel shows care becoming politically legible as trespass, even when its purpose is simply to keep people safe.

Early spring 1975, outside St Dallan’s School

Spring 1975, on Cushla’s first visit to the McGeowns

Easter 1975, after Cushla speaks to Bradley

The night the McGeown home is firebombed

The morning the McGeowns leave the Lavery home