MovieChat Forums > The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2007) Discussion > The Republican court scene - Mrs Raffert...

The Republican court scene - Mrs Rafferty and Teddy

posted 11 years ago by mman37x
6 replies | jump to latest

A couple things about the Republican court scene:

First of all - does anyone else think Mrs. Rafferty is deliberately "playing dumb"?

First, she replies to everything in Irish Gaelic, but seems to perfectly understand the English being spoken around her.

Second, when asked about the loan, she replies "Níl fhios agam" which means "I don't know", despite the fact that Sinéad has paperwork documenting the loan. No wonder Sweeney exclaims with exasperation "What does she mean - níl fhios agam!"

And then there's Teddy. He claims, after the settlement in Mrs. Rafferty's favor, that this will impede Sweeney's ability to purchase guns from Glasgow for the IRA.

Really? Isn't Sweeney a rich man? One peasant woman's loan payment forgone and suddenly he can't buy one more shipment of guns? (It's not like Mrs. Rafferty was going to do anything but default on that 500% interest payment, anyway. If she's a peasant, she ain't got the cash.) Furthermore, Teddy offers to buy Mrs. Rafferty groceries if a judgment is made against her. If Teddy has money, can't he make up the difference for the guns instead?

[–] nimrond 11 years ago

I agree with you on your take on Mrs. Rafferty.
But I'm pretty sure that it's not about Sweeney not being able to buy any more weapons for the IRA if he has to pay Mrs. Rafferty the money. He just won't. Why should he support those that do not support him? The IRA is dependent on rich men like him for financial support, so they do not want to upset him. They couldn't possibly and wouldn't rob their own people of the necessary funds for their war against the British. His continued support is worth a lot more to Teddy than the price of some groceries for Mrs. Rafferty, I'm sure.

[–] kennellygerard 11 years ago

no wonder she plays dumb
when the ''court'' rules against the wealthy

all she has to do
is sit there and act poor

[–] ciprianl 11 years ago

You mean she just has to be herself? Poor and dumb seem to be synonymous (and let's not forget lazy - after all, there must be some reasons why she's poor).

[–] kennellygerard 11 years ago

yes :)

[–] mikeyg24 11 years ago

If I was Teddy I would have taken my men out of the town and left them to it. If they thought they knew best then let them see how they got on with no guns when the Brits came back.

Yours sincerely, General Joseph Liebgott

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

As someone else explained it wasn't the payment of the debt that would bankrupt Sweeney and so mean a loss of supply of arms but his refusal to co-operate and and aid his fellow Irish men and women after the court decision that he thought grossly unfair.

The court scene is important as it shows how the Irish are later divided over the treaty. Teddy is willing to compromise on ideals in order to forge ahead. He's a pragmatist. The others, including Damien, are concerned with the foundations being laid for a free Ireland and do not want a system that reminds them of English rules. They are Idealists.

I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.