‘Small Things Like These‘ has caught a lot of attention since its release, especially because the film touches on a painful chapter in Ireland’s past. Starring Cillian Murphy as coal merchant Bill Furlong, the story unfolds in the days leading up to Christmas in 1985.
As Bill begins to notice troubling signs at a local convent and starts to connect it to the historical Magdalene laundry, viewers naturally start wondering about the same thing: is ‘Small Things Like These‘ based on a true story? Well, we are diving into every aspect of it.
The Story Of ‘Small Things Like These’ Is Inspired By Real History
The short answer is no. ‘Small Things Like These‘ is not based on the true story of a specific individual. Bill Furlong, the coal merchant played by Cillian Murphy, is a fictional character. The film is adapted from Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel of the same name, which also tells a fictional story.
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However, the narrative deliberately places Bill inside a very real historical setting. In the movie, Bill lives in Wexford, Ireland, where he works hard to provide for his wife and daughters. As the Christmas season approaches in 1985, his routine coal deliveries bring him to the local convent, where he begins to notice disturbing signs connected to the Magdalene laundry run by the nuns.
For example, Bill witnesses a young girl being dragged into the laundry against her will. Later, he also finds another girl, Sarah, locked outside the building in freezing weather. These moments slowly make him question what is really happening behind the convent’s walls. Even though Bill himself is fictional, these scenes are meant to reflect situations that actually happened in Ireland’s Magdalene laundries.
The Magdalene Laundries Were Very Real
Even though Bill’s story is fictional, the Magdalene laundries shown in the movie were very real. These institutions existed across Ireland for centuries and were created to house women whom society considered “fallen.” First established in the 18th century and named after Mary Magdalene, the laundries often took in unmarried pregnant women, orphaned girls, petty criminals, and women labeled as “too promiscuous.”
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Once inside, many women were forced to work long hours washing and cleaning laundry under the strict supervision of nuns. Families often disowned the women who were sent there, and many had little chance of leaving. According to the National Council of Women of Ireland, around 30,000 women and girls were confined in Magdalene laundries between 1790 and 1996.
This real history is what gives Small Things Like These the much-needed emotional edge, even though the characters themselves are fictional. While Bill Furlong’s story is fictional, the world around him is based on real events.
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