A Prayer for the Dying

An IRA team including Fallon and Docherty sets a roadside bomb for two British Army Land Rovers. As the operation unfolds, a school bus unexpectedly overtakes and detonates the device, killing the children. The team abandons the scene to escape responsibility.

Fallon travels to London to escape his violent past and vows never to kill again. He attempts to start a new life away from the Troubles and the Belfast cycle of violence.

In London, Fallon is approached by Jack Meehan and his brother Billy to take on one final killing in exchange for money, a passport and passage to the USA. He is initially reluctant but agrees to the hit to secure a future for himself. The assignment re-entangles him with the criminal underworld.

Fallon carries out the required hit, but a local Catholic priest, Father Michael Da Costa, witnesses the killing. The witness complicates his already fragile situation and raises the risk of exposure. The incident puts Fallon back on the radar of multiple enemies.

Fallon goes to the church to confess to Father Michael in a bid to ensure his silence. He also meets Anna, the priest's blind niece who lives at the church, and she begins to fall in love with him. The church becomes a focal point for his moral conflict and budding relationships.

Meehan insists Fallon must finish the priest to tie up loose ends, while Fallon is now targeted by the police, the Meehans, and the IRA. He is pulled deeper into a deadly web of loyalty and betrayal as every faction closes in.

Docherty and Siobhan are dispatched to London to persuade Fallon to return to Ireland or face consequences. Fallon refuses to go back, and Docherty hesitates to kill him at the last moment, increasing the tension between all sides.

Billy Meehan goes to the church to confront Fallon, triggering a confrontation inside the church house. Anna fights him and kills Billy in a struggle, removing a key physical obstacle for Fallon. The event heightens the urgency and danger surrounding Fallon.

Fallon takes Billy's body and disposes of it in Jack Meehan's crematorium, trying to clean up the mess and avoid detection. He compounds his moral conflict as he places the blame on no one but himself. This act deepens the entanglement with Meehan's criminal empire.

Siobhan carries out the IRA's order and kills Docherty in London. The murder removes a rival and demonstrates the brutality of the faction's internal power struggles. The incident tightens the net around Fallon.

Jack Meehan arranges to ship Fallon to the USA on a boat as a final trap. Fallon immediately sees through the deceit and refuses to board the vessel. Meehan's men are exposed and humiliated as Fallon maintains control of his fate.

The Meehans stage a bombing of the church to kill Fallon and his allies, hoping to pin the crime on him. Anna and Michael manage to escape as the blast devastates the church. The explosion kills Meehan and leaves Fallon gravely wounded.

In his dying moments, Fallon confesses his past to the priest. The priest grants him absolution, offering forgiveness for his sins. Fallon dies in peace shortly after the confession.