More than once, Tom Murray held someone as they died in his arms during the Troubles in Northern Ireland - a brutal conflict between Irish Republican Army factions and the British Army in the 1970s. One such moment was when an undercover Captain of British intelligence was shot at point-blank range by the PIRA during an Easter parade.
Born a Catholic in Derry's Bogside on July 12th-the very day Protestant Orangemen march the province with cries of "No surrender"-Tom chose to serve as a volunteer medic during the Troubles. At the First Aid post, he treated anyone wounded, regardless of allegiance, offering care amid violence before formal medical aid could arrive.
This book is decidedly not about fighting or bloodshed. Such conflicts unfold worldwide daily-often unnoticed by international media. As Murray writes, "This book is about a conflict deeper than the history of Ireland; the conflict within the soul, expressed in countless ways since man first rebelled against God."
This is the story of one man grappling with the inhumanity he witnessed and endured. Set against real events like the Battle of the Bogside and Bloody Sunday, Murray's memoir also reveals his personal struggles with suspicion from both the PIRA and Catholic community, who questioned his loyalties.
His spiritual transformation began at Maze Prison (Long Kesh), where he placed his trust in Jesus Christ. The prison held many factions of paramilitaries, including IRA and UVF/UDA members. Tom's adult baptism in a condemned man's cell converted into a prison bathroom was a powerful symbol of his new faith.
"The Troubles" changed countless lives-Tom Murray's included. This memoir is a journey from violence and suspicion to faith and peace, culminating in his final act in prison: nailing a scroll to his cell door proclaiming, "It Is FINISHED!"