Author's afterword:

The story is set in November 1985, a decade before the beginnings of the economic renaissance of the 'Celtic Tiger'. In the MacGyver timeline, it takes place in the first season, not long before Deathlock (which aired 22 January 1986).

This story is a work of fiction; the only historical figure in this story is Margaret Thatcher. The Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985 (not to be confused with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998) is an historical fact, as is the mass protest against it held at Belfast City Hall on 23 November 1985, including the complete absence of any deaths ascribed to the Troubles on that day or for another five days afterwards.

Musical credits:
"The Black and Tan" aka "Come Out You Black and Tans" was written by Dominic Behan.
"Four Green Fields" was written in 1967 by Tommy Makem.

The rhyme from which the title was taken is much older than either song. I first learned it in 1981, from the same folksinger who taught me most of my repertoire of radical Irish songs (including "The Black and Tan"). He liked to start his sets with the rhyme, and boasted that he would pay the funeral expenses of anyone who would attempt to recite it at any pub in certain Belfast neighbourhoods.

Some of the words and expressions used in the story are as follows:

Glipe – idiot. Also eejit.

Supergrass – from 'grass', British slang for an informer. In the 1980s, the British forces in Belfast made extensive use of IRA informers, some planted, others recruited, known as 'supergrasses'. Many of the hundreds of convictions thus obtained were subsequently overturned, but the use of supergrasses raised the level of omnipresent paranoia even higher than it already was.

Black and Tans – originally the name for a branch of the Royal Irish Constabulary active in the 1920s; has much the same connotations that 'Gestapo' does for the Jews. Irish-Americans later started using the name for a drink of half-and-half Guinness and lager, an example of the remarkable Irish capacity for extremely black humour.

The Falls – the Falls Road neighbourhood, still a hard-core Catholic enclave in Belfast.

Shankill Road – a hard-core Protestant enclave adjacent to the Falls Road area.

Belfast's "Peace Walls" or "Peace Lines" – are real, and still exist; in fact, there are more of them now than there were in 1985, and Belfast is more rigidly segregated today than it was twenty years ago.

Craic – a good time spent with friends. Often involves music, alcohol, or both. Pronounced 'crack'.

Culchie – derogatory term: country bumpkin, rube, hick.

Looter – a punch in the face.

Faffin' about – screwing around, wasting time.

Taig and Prod, or Proddy – the equivalent of 'nigger' for Catholic and Protestant respectively, although 'Taig' is said to carry a heavier weight of abnegating hatred.

What about ye? – basically means "Hi, how are you?"

Potcheen – home-made liquor, spelled poitín in Gaelic.

UVF – the Ulster Volunteer Force, a Protestant paramilitary organisation.

Long Kesh – the principal site of internment of suspected IRA associates and later, of imprisonment for paramilitary convicts. Renamed the Maze Prison in 1976. It was the site of the 'blanket protests', the 'dirty protest' and the hunger strikes of the 70s and 80s.

Provos – another name for the Provisional IRA. For a detailed explanation of the history of the IRA, the Provisional IRA, Sinn Féin, Provisional Sinn Féin, Republican Sinn Féin, etc., see the bibliography below, but don't blame me if your head explodes.
. . . And if you want a simple explanation . . . dream on.

Shite – is considered a very mild term, and can be used in most levels of polite company or in the mainstream press.

Arse – ditto.

Feckin' – a milder version of The Other Word.

The Other Word – really is used as freely as represented, if not more so. I toned it down. Really.

For anyone interested in learning more about the Troubles, I've listed some of my source materials below. However, along with the books I particularly recommend the following songs:

"The House of Orange" by Stan Rogers, on the album From Fresh Waters.

"The Town I Loved So Well" by Phil Coulter (numerous recordings).

"Children Born of Hate" (traditional, numerous recordings).

And, of course, "Four Green Fields" by Tommy Makem: I especially recommend the version on The Makem and Clancy Collection. Another fine rendition, sung by Paul Harrington, can be found on the DVD of the dance show Celtic Tiger.

Selected Bibliography:

Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland – David McKittrick (an exceptional book, although I found the title somewhat ironic).

Northern Ireland: A Chronology of the Troubles – Paul Bew & Gordon Gillespie.

Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children Who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles – David McKittrick, Seamus Kelters, Brian Feeney, Chris Thornton, David McVea.

Falls Road Memories – Gerry Adams.

Resurrection Man, Blue Tango and The Last of Deeds – Eoin MacNamee.

I also highly recommend Edward Rutherfurd's "Dublin Saga", The Princes of Ireland and The Rebels of Ireland (although the first half of Princes should be skipped by anyone interested in actual history). He ends his story half a century before the beginning of the Troubles, but the books are a good way to get a sense of the long and bitter background of the conflict, as well as being just plain good storytelling.

This entire story is available as a single pdf document. Email the author if you are interested.