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The following is from The Ferryman, page 7 (depiction of a man, who was found in the bog, he was supposed to be an IRA informer, but something went wrong and IRA itself they killed him). What does "Some Polos" mean?

Was he wearing it or did they find it in his pockets? Was a typical dress for the IRA volunteers a civil dress? Or do brown corduroys, English brand Gola refer refer to something else? I know that the informers were given some expensive staff in the past and IRA bribed new members.

"...your man is wearing a pair of Gola trainers. A Timex wristwatch. Brown corduroys. (beat) So the rummage through his pockets and they find his car keys. His last pay packet from December 1971 (his money from the work?) Some Polos (a polo neck, sweater, a polo t-shirt, a headdress, some Polos corporate gift like a pen, some polos crossword puzzle clue?) A betting slip signed by Georgie Best."

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  • these maybe: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polo_(confectionery)
    – flumperious
    Commented May 16, 2021 at 12:42
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    Undoubtedly Polo mints, and presumably the pay packet from his ordinary job.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented May 16, 2021 at 12:44
  • By the way, an IRA informer is someone who informs the police about the IRA. He would have been killed by the IRA because he was an informer.
    – James K
    Commented May 16, 2021 at 12:58
  • Informers, whether IRA members or not, were called 'touts' by the IRA, and sometimes executed merely on suspicion.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented May 16, 2021 at 13:02
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    Actual or suspected informers killed by the IRA were buried in bogs. The Bogside is an urban district of Derry. Many of these, called 'the Disappeared', were found in bogs or other rural locations decades after being murdered.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented May 16, 2021 at 13:57

1 Answer 1

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Polo mints. A hard, mint flavoured sweet made in the shape of a ring.

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The IRA, was never a military force like the British army. It was a resistance movement and a terrorist organisation. There was no "uniform" of the IRA, except perhaps the balaclavas that were worn to hide their faces. Gola trainers and corduroys are simply comfortable and fairly inexpensive clothes that any young Irish person could have been wearing in the 1970s. Similarly a Timex watch was a low cost brand of digital watch. And a pay slip is from a regular job (it would be normal for a working-class person to be paid weekly by cheque)

Indeed the only notable thing of value is the autograph of Georgie Best, a famous and very popular football player from Ireland (though he played for Manchester United)

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    as i suggested. they are quite common in the UK/Ireland and would be instantly recognizable to a native, which is why they are just described by the brand name
    – flumperious
    Commented May 16, 2021 at 12:45
  • Advertised as 'the mint with the hole'. UK people would not usually call these things 'candy'. There's even an unboxing video on Youtube.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented May 16, 2021 at 12:59
  • Many thanks to all of you.
    – Susa
    Commented May 16, 2021 at 13:17
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    "a Timex watch was a low cost brand of digital watch" -- not in the early 1970s! "In 1972, Hamilton introduced the world's first commercial electronic digital wristwatch. It retailed for the pricey sum of $2,100..." The bog-man's Timex was analog, and almost certainly mechanical (not even quartz): "The first quartz watch from Timex was produced in 1972..."
    – nanoman
    Commented May 16, 2021 at 23:13

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