In the Name of the Father

Red Hand Luke becomes convinced he's going to die from kidney failure, despite the fact that doctors have told him the illness is all in his head! Dympna suggests that Luke's anxiety attacks stem back to his lack of a stable background and a father figure in his life. Over in Divis Towers, it's Ma's birthday and, as ever, the poor woman is having a dreadful time of it. Thanks to a flea-ridden fur coat that Da bought her in a second-hand shop, she's covered in calamine lotion and the whole flat must be fumigated! She cheers up briefly when Cal gives her a musical birthday card but even that fails to work! Back in Orange Terrace, Luke is in seventh heaven. He's finally found a father figure, someone he can rely on to indulge his every whim, take him to the funfair, buy him expensive gifts - Uncle Andy! Naturally Andy is less than happy with the situation, but he's just too scared to say no to the demented Luke. However, things come to a head when Luke demands one of Andy's kidneys for his transplant operation! Da is delighted to discover he is being bugged - he thinks it proves his importance within the republican movement! Despite warnings from Sinn Fein to keep things quiet, Da organises a press conference only to discover the "bug" is in fact the computer chip from Ma's musical birthday card!