They work out a system, of sorts. Those who bring up septic miscarriage or the denial of cancer treatment in pregnancy go to Jen, who did a year’s pre-med. People who quote the Bible – often maliciously, choosing deliberately contradictory passages from Leviticus or Proverbs – go to Pastor Rick. She, Steve and Rebekah take turns holding the banner, which they are not allowed to attach to city council property despite the theoretical freedom of speech in Ireland, and try to focus on the young people.

But the only young people who approach them are a group of teenagers who, after several minutes of watching and sniggering, come up and say, Why do Americans, like, use their entire faces when they say the word ‘Ireland’?

That’s not very nice, Steve says, and one of them says, 70Yeah, well, neither is your unwanted involvement in our constitutional issue.

My family actually comes from Ireland, Steve says, and for some reason they find this hilarious.

Her family is from Ireland too: her great-great-great – she gets confused with the greats – great-something grandmother sailed to Staten Island from Cobh, which she knows is pronounced ‘Cove’, sometime in the 1800s. She’s been wondering if there’ll be time to go there at some point on this trip; it looks to be only a couple hours’ drive.

A man stops to say, Fair play to yous all. He insists on shaking each of their hands with his liver-spotted one. Fair play to you. Fair play. It’s the good Lord’s work you’re doing. She feels the glow spread through her again. They could set off at dawn, and if they made good time, be back by mid-morning. Play music on the way. You have to be twenty-one to hire a car, so it would have to be Steve who did it, but she has the money her mom gave her, for emergencies. She hasn’t dared to mention it yet. Rebekah’s family are from Sweden, originally, hence her blonde hair. So probably Cobh will mean nothing to her.

She has just handed the pole to Rebekah for a stint when the woman approaches.

Excuse me, the woman says. Excuse me.

The woman is talking to her.

Hi there, how are you doing today? she says, and smiles 71her widest and most welcoming smile. But before she can offer a pamphlet, the woman says, I had a diagnosis of FFA at twenty-one weeks. Do you know what FFA stands for?

She takes a breath. Ok. She knows the answer to this one.

I’m sorry for your loss, she says, but the woman is already talking, talking over her.