Old God’s Time: Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

The next day, Tom takes a train from Dalkey to Dublin. During the ride, he recalls how the trainline’s route had to be slightly altered during its construction, leaving some deserted tunnels. In one of these tunnels, a young man was discovered dead, with the circumstances of his death never coming to light; some believed he died by suicide, but there were no injuries on the body. Tom regrets the lack of resolution to his death. As the train moves further along, the sea comes into view, instilling a sense of profound awe in Tom. Although he has no town he can fully call home, he feels that he could rightfully claim a place in the sea. He wishes the train would extend to the end of time and never stop—but ultimately, he arrives in Dublin.

In Dublin, Tom is assailed with traumatic memories of the 1974 bombing of Dublin. During the tragedy, he and Fleming investigated the explosions and thus became first responders who bore witness to the horrific carnage that the bombs wrought. When Tom first arrived at the scene, he thought someone had blown up a butcher shop due to the pieces of meat strewn across the street, only to realize he was staring at body parts. However, the worst part for him was not the dead and injured, but the unharmed people kneeling over them to offer prayers and reassurance. That night, June had to call the doctor because Tom couldn’t stop trembling, which Tom found strange because he never trembled as a soldier in Malaya. The doctor told him the bombing was different because it was close to home. Tom did not view Dublin as his city but felt a responsibility to guard it.

Back in the present, Tom hurries up Harcourt Street, where some gardeners are working. The street brings up memories of seeing movies with Billy at the nearby theater. He arrives at the station where Dymphna, the receptionist, greets him warmly. He heads through the large entrance hall and up the wide stairs to the incident room, whose table is covered with photos that he recognizes, including of two priests, Byrne and Matthews, that invoke contempt in Tom. Fleming, O’Casey, and Wilson enter the room along with a newer detective, Maureen Scally, whom Fleming introduces to Tom. Tom notes her golden hair, which he finds “not mousy at all.” The group makes small talk about Wilson and O’Casey’s visit to Dalkey, then turn their attention to the case.

Tom wakes up on a bench in St. Stephen’s Green; his encounter at the station was a dream. The gardeners are still there. Now that he’s awake, he recognizes the various discrepancies in the dream, such as the station being in a large castle rather than a functional building and being relatively empty when it’s usually quite crowded with detectives. He wonders if he’s going crazy, but then he wonders if recognizing his insanity really makes him sane. He stands up and slaps his face in an attempt to ground himself in reality, prompting the curiosity of nearby schoolchildren. He angrily asks them why they’re not in school, realizing as he does it that he sounds like a madman. Ashamed of himself, he turns to find Harcourt Street.