Cillian Murphy’s new Small Things like These film is too ‘simplistic’ – and fails to portray the ‘pleasures’ of living in 1980s Ireland, David Quinn has claimed.

The film is set in a small Irish town in 1985 which has a Magdalene Laundry for young women who get pregnant outside of marriage.

It follows male character Bill Furlong who is a middle-aged married man who grew up stigmatised because he was born out of wedlock.

On Newstalk Breakfast, Iona Institute director David Quinn took issue with the film’s portrayal of life in Ireland in the 1980s as a melancholy place where everyone lived in fear of the Church. 

“They’re all terrified that if anyone defies the nuns, there’ll be dire consequences,” he said. 

“Bill Furlong, played by Cillian Murphy, is told by his wife, ‘Don’t do anything about what’s going on in there because, if you do, there’ll be terrible consequences for our daughters.’

“It doesn’t look like the 1980s; it barely even looks like the 1950s and in some parts, it looks like the 1850s. 

“I’ve read the book as well and I’m thinking, ‘Is that how life was in the 1980s?’ It might have been for some people but it would have been a very small minority.” 

Cillian Murphy in Small Things Like These. Picture by: Alamy.com

Mr Quinn said the Church was not something his contemporaries thought about much and was far from a “big cloud in our lives”.  

“We weren’t terrified that the priests or nuns were getting in the way of our freedom and our enjoyments,” he said. 

“The main thing that was on our mind when we discussed current affairs wasn’t the Church, it was Charlie Haughey versus Garret FitzGerald.”

Crucifix in the library of a Catholic school. Image: lovethephoto / Alamy Stock Photo

In 1985, the sale of contraception without a prescription was legalised; however, marital rape remained legal until 1990 and homosexuality was still a crime. 

State censorship remained in place and screenings of the 1979 comedy The Life of Brian were held in secret. 

Despite this, Mr Quinn feels most people enjoyed themselves. 

“I saw little enough getting in the way of my contemporaries and their pleasures back in the 1980s,” he said. 

“An awful lot of people were having an awful lot of fun. 

“We had things like Slane Castle, for example; the pubs would be crowded, there was a great music scene.”

Public opinion

Two referendums were held on social issues in the ‘80s.

In 1983, a large majority of voters decided to add the 8th amendment to the Constitution, which banned abortion.

Three-years later, they decided to keep the constitutional ban on divorce as well. 

“There were two-to-one majorities in both of those things,” Mr Quinn said.

“That was the democratic will – that the 8th amendment gets passed and Garret’s divorce referendum got beaten.” 

Small Things like These was adapted from the bestselling novella by Claire Keegan of the same name.

Main image: Cillian Murphy. Picture by: Alamy.com