The midsummer fairground in Clonskeagh collapses
during the closing ceremony, killing three and
injuring dozens. The Garda on scene, Siobhán
Riordan, notes the structure’s rusted supports
and the absence of safety checks. She files a
report but dismisses it as an accident.
Two weeks later, a priest’s confession is found
in a locked church drawer, detailing a 1974
abortion arranged by the parish. The document is
dated the day before the fairground’s opening.
Siobhán traces the names of the dead to a family
whose matriarch was known to have left the
country in the ’70s.
She visits the family home, now a derelict
cottage, and finds a hidden room beneath the
floorboards. Inside, a child’s diary reveals the
mother had been pregnant with twins, one of whom
was buried in the fairground grounds. The
priest’s name is scrawled in the margins,
alongside a date matching the festival’s opening.
A new rule emerges: any public event involving
historical land use must be vetted by the local
parish. Siobhán is ordered to ignore the case,
but she discovers a second diary entry, this
time from the father, confessing he buried the
child in the fairground to avoid scandal. The
priest had threatened to expose him.
She returns to the site at night, digs beneath
the stage, and unearths a rusted tin box. Inside
are two small bones, a faded photograph of the
couple, and a note: “Forgive us.” The ground
shifts under her feet as rain begins to fall.
The next morning, the fairground is closed
indefinitely. A new law is passed: all public
gatherings must include a priest’s blessing.
Siobhán is reassigned to a remote post, but the
case remains unsolved. The bones are never
officially identified.
