Co Tyrone woman whose father was murdered by the IRA pens debut novel

When she was just 12-years-old Claire Sheills’ father, a well-known businessman from Dungannon, was shot dead by the provisional IRA.

Father-of-six Eric Shiells (49) was gunned down outside his home in the Northland Road area of the town. Mr Sheills, who was a part-time member of the UDR, had been returning to work after his lunch when he was shot at from a passing car.

Claire can vividly recall the events of that horrendous day.

“It was a Friday. Lunchtime. April 1977. I was pulled out of boarding school by Matron who had packed a bag for me. I remember she couldn’t look me in the eye when I asked her if my father was dead. She didn’t know. Nor did my older cousins who drove me down the motorway home. There were no mobile phones in those days, and it was only when I got to my granny’s house and my mother ran to the car crying, I knew.

“Later, I realised no one was surprised my father had been killed. His name had been found on an IRA ‘List’. He was a prominent businessman and had recently joined the UDR. He joined up apparently because he couldn’t bear what was happening to the town around him. So many people – Catholic and Protestant – his friends and colleagues - were being killed and he wanted to try and stop it. When the ‘List’ was found, my mother had begged him to give up the UDR. But he wouldn’t. I think she was very sad about that for a long time. She was 42-years-old and was left with six children to rear.”

Inspired by her family’s experiences during the Troubles, Claire, a former Northern Ireland journalist and editor of Northern Woman magazine, has released her debut novel, After Dad.

“After my father was killed, we as a family rarely used the phrase ‘After dad was killed’, or ‘After dad was shot’. It was just too shocking, I think. We simply referred to ‘After dad…’ and we all knew exactly what that meant.”

Claire, who now lives in London with her husband and daughter Charlotte, said the idea for the book had been “brewing for decades”.

“I always thought ‘one day’. Finally, about five years ago, the itch got so strong I had to scratch it! Writing about what you know will always shine through on the page and the Northern Irish story - past and present is intriguing.”

Recalling the terrible events around her father’s murder, Claire said: “When violence falls on you and your family in such a traumatic way – the shock itself is tremendous.

“The house was suddenly full of people. Friends and family were arriving with food and whiskey was being drunk. Sleeping pills were being handed out. I remember being kept away from mummy – she was crying and I suppose everyone thought this would be too upsetting for a twelve-year-old to see. Whereas in fact, all I wanted and needed was to be with her. I remember wandering around the house alone – not quite sure what to do with myself.

“I slept with my mother that night, lying on my father’s side of the bed - where he had slept the night before.”

Memories of her father

Claire found writing the book was “strangely cathartic”.

“I’d be sitting in my London house and bang, I’d suddenly be a child again, running out of Wellworths in Dungannon Square after it had blown up, finding glass in the hood of my sweatshirt as I walked home. Looking back, even I find it hard to believe what happened sometimes. But Dungannon was a bitterly divided town then - so bombs and shootings were regular occurrences.

“After Dad is a novel, not an autobiography, however many of the incidents, both sad and funny, did happen to me in real life.”

Claire has fond memories of her beloved dad.

“My father had huge hands and a big smile. I remember that. He used to lift me onto his knee after tea every night. He would smoke his pipe and tell my mother all about his day as she cleared up after the eight of us! Rugby was a massive part of his life. He played for Ulster, and I think maybe even trialled for Ireland.

“He played with the likes of Jack Kyle, Syd Millar and his cousin John Haldane (the original family business was Haldane Shiells) who was then also killed by the IRA. He spent a lot of time at Dungannon Rugby Club.

“He was president the year Stuart McKinny was picked for the British and Irish Lions. He often took me and some of the other children to the club with him. I’d get a bottle of Fanta with a straw in it and a packet of Tayto. It was heaven.

“Another memory was running to the car with him after he got a phone call to say the business had once again, been blown-up or fire-bombed. This happened all too often, and, after checking under our own car, we’d race to the sawmills to see what damage had been done. I actually remember feeling excited about what we would find. How awful is that!? But I was only a child, and such things were exciting to witness. Looking back, I can’t believe he actually took me with him. But times were different back then. I think we were all in it together.”

Despite everything Claire (and the characters in the book) have been through, the story is uplifting.

“Even with everything my family and I went through, on balance I’d say my upbringing was more Derry Girls than doom and gloom and I wanted my novel to reflect this.”

A contemporary love story

Claire was inspired to realise her long-held dream of writing a novel after a near-death experience, following complications after endometritis surgery in March 2020, prompting a ‘now or never’ feeling.

After Dad is a contemporary love story, set mostly in modern day Northern Ireland and Donegal. The shadow of the past hangs over the book, with a historic murder by the IRA at its centre. After Dad skilfully explores the eroding effects this loss has on family, life and love. But it is also a book about hope, reflecting on how the human spirit strives to deal with past trauma to prevent it seeping into the future.

Millie, the victim’s daughter, a spirited, flawed, journalist, retreats to the family home in Co. Tyrone after a decision leaves her gilded London life in ruins. Eventually retreating to the family cottage in Donegal, it is here she meets the enigmatic Finn McFall, a Catholic from west Belfast. A talented artist by day and a beguiling storyteller by night, Finn enthrals Millie with readings from Joyce and Heaney and tales of Irish legends. In this new modern Ireland, Millie believes religion is no longer a barrier for love.But she soon discovers home is a place still struggling with a fragile peace and simmering sectarianism. When she finds Finn’s past is inextricably linked to her own, she is heartbroken and must decide between love and loyalty. Eventually, Millie has to ask herself the question: can love really conquer all?

After Dad explores love in all its guises: family love, romantic love and maybe the most potent of all - tribal love. It also highlights issues facing modern Ireland today, including reignited sectarianism, Brexit border tensions and the hidden exploitation of migrant workers.

Claire said: “After Dad is a book full of characters that have faced adversity throughout their lives, but who also live in hope. At times, I think this manifested hope was what carried me along on my own personal journey. What happened to me as a child in Northern Ireland, and later with my health, have definitely impacted my writing – but in all the right ways. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I am living proof of that. Bringing a debut novel into the world and seeing my characters come to life is something I have always dreamed of. I cannot wait to share this story, and these characters with the world.”

*After Dad by Claire Shiells will be published by The Book Guild on September 28, 2022. RRP 9.99. The book can be pre-ordered online from Waterstones and all book outlets. E-book pre-order is available from Apple & Amazon.