"showdown between the prisoners and the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. One hunger striker, Bobby Sands, was elected as a Member of Parliament during the strike, prompting media interest from around the world. The strike was called off after ten prisoners had starved themselves to death—including Sands, whose funeral was attended by 100,000 people. The strike radicalised Irish nationalist politics, and was the driving force that enabled Sinn Féin to become a mainstream political party. There had been hunger strikes by Irish republican prisoners since 1917, and twelve had previously died on hunger strike, including Thomas Ashe, Terence MacSwiney, Seán"
"""hunger striking once more"". The 1981 Irish hunger strike began on 1 March when Bobby Sands refused food, and by the time the strike ended on 3 October, ten men, including Sands, had starved to death. Two days later, the incoming Northern Ireland Secretary, James Prior, announced a number of changes in prison policy, including that from then on all paramilitary prisoners would be allowed to wear their own clothes at all times. Blanket protest The blanket protest was part of a five-year protest during the Troubles by Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoners"
"prison. He joined the blanket protest before joining the hunger strike. Devine participated in a brief hunger strike in 1980, which was called off without fatalities. On 22 June 1981, Devine joined the 1981 hunger strike at the Maze Prison. He died on 20 August, the tenth and last of the hunger strikers to die. Michael Devine (hunger striker) Michael James ""Mickey"" Devine (26 May 1954–20 August 1981) was an Irish founding member of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). He died in prison during the 1981 Irish hunger strike. Devine, also known as """"Red Mickey"""" because of his red"
"a 62-day hunger strike in 1976 which he began as a campaign to be repatriated to Ireland. In 1980, seven Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoners in the Maze Prison launched a hunger strike as a protest against the revocation by the UK government of a prisoner-of-war-like Special Category Status for paramilitary prisoners in Northern Ireland. The strike, led by Brendan Hughes, was called off before any deaths, when the Government seemed to offer to concede their demands; however, the Government then reneged on the details of the agreement. The prisoners then called another hunger strike the following year. This"
"1981 hunger strikes, accepted by the prisoners' leadership in the prison, were rejected by IRA commanders outside. He suggests that the IRA rejected the deal as the Irish republican candidate Owen Carron would have a better chance of winning the Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election if the hunger strike was ongoing on polling day. Fellow former IRA member Anthony McIntyre and O'Rawe have claimed that Gerry Adams was a key figure in the IRA. Richard O'Rawe Richard O’Rawe is a former IRA prisoner and author of ""Blanketmen"". He grew up in a house at the corner of Peel Street and"
"1981. Sands decided that other prisoners should join the strike at staggered intervals to maximise publicity, with prisoners steadily deteriorating successively over several months. The hunger strike centred on five demands: The significance of the hunger strike was the prisoners' aim of being considered political prisoners as opposed to criminals. Shortly before Sands's death, ""The Washington Post"" reported that the primary aim of the hunger strike was to generate international publicity. Sands died on 5 May 1981 in the Maze's prison hospital after 66 days on hunger strike, aged 27. The original pathologist's report recorded the hunger strikers' causes of"
"""hunger striking once more"". The 1981 Irish hunger strike began on 1 March when Bobby Sands refused food, and the dirty protest ended the following day. By the time the hunger strike ended on 3 October ten men, including Sands, had starved to death. Two days later, the incoming Northern Ireland Secretary, Jim Prior, announced a number of changes in prison policy, including that from then on all paramilitary prisoners would be allowed to wear their own clothes at all times. Dirty protest The dirty protest (also called the no wash protest) was part of a five-year protest during the"
"Nugent was released in 1980, and later in the year the protest in the Maze escalated further and seven prisoners took part in a fifty-three-day hunger strike. The strike was aimed at restoring political prisoner status by securing what were known as the ""Five Demands"": The strike ended before any prisoners had died and without political status being secured, and a second hunger strike began on 1 March 1981 led by Bobby Sands, the IRA's Officer Commanding (OC) in the prison. McMullan joined the strike on 17 August, after Sands and eight other prisoners had starved themselves to death. Following"
"Michael Devine (hunger striker) Michael James ""Mickey"" Devine (26 May 1954–20 August 1981) was an Irish founding member of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). He died in prison during the 1981 Irish hunger strike. Devine, also known as """"Red Mickey"""" because of his red hair, was born into a family from the Springtown Camp, Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. In 1960, when Devine was six years of age, the Devine family including his grandmother, sister Margaret and parents Patrick and Elizabeth, moved to the then newly built Creggan estate to the north of Derry city centre. Devine was educated"
"Derry in January 1979 and was active in the INLA. On 14 May 1979, he was arrested and was convicted of possessing a hand grenade. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in January 1980. He became Officer Commanding of the INLA prisoners at the beginning of the first hunger strike in 1980, and he joined the 1981 strike on 22 March. On Thursday, 21 May, at 11:29 pm, he died after 61 days on hunger strike, at the age of 23. In accordance with his wishes, his parents did not get him the medical intervention needed to save"
"Thomas McElwee Thomas McElwee (30 November 1957 - 8 August 1981) was an Irish republican who participated in the 1981 hunger strike and a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). From Bellaghy, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, he died at the age of 23 after 62 days on hunger strike. Thomas McElwee and his cousin Francis Hughes formed the South Derry Independent Republican unit, which for several years carried out ambushes on British Army patrols as well carrying out bomb attacks in neighbouring towns such as Magherafelt, Castledawson, and Maghera. In October 1976, McElwee took part in a planned"
"Tehran is named in honour of Sands. Nine other IRA and Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) members who were involved in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike died after Sands. On the day of Sands's funeral, Unionist leader Ian Paisley held a memorial service outside of Belfast city hall to commemorate the victims of the IRA. In the Irish general elections held the same year, two anti H-block candidates won seats on an abstentionist basis. The media coverage that surrounded the death of Sands resulted in a new surge of IRA activity and an immediate escalation in the Troubles, with the"
"1982, reflecting the sequence in which the old leadership of the republican movement were being sidelined. IRA prisoners convicted after March 1976 did not have Special Category Status applied in prison. In response, more than 500 prisoners refused to wear prison clothes. This activity culminated in the 1981 Irish hunger strike, when seven IRA and three Irish National Liberation Army members starved themselves to death in pursuit of political status. The hunger strike leader Bobby Sands and Anti H-Block activist Owen Carron were elected to the British Parliament, and two other protesting prisoners were elected to the Dáil. In addition,"
"Pat McGeown Pat ""Beag"" McGeown (3 September 1956 – 1 October 1996) was a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who took part in the 1981 Irish hunger strike. McGeown was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 3 September 1956, and joined the IRA's youth wing Fianna Éireann in 1970. He was first arrested aged 14, and in 1973 he was again arrested and interned in Long Kesh until 1974. In November 1975 McGeown was arrested and charged with possession of explosives, bombing the Europa Hotel, and IRA membership. At his trial in 1976 he was convicted and"
"Irish Hunger Strike in the H-Blocks at the Maze prison. His hunger strike began on 15 March 1981, two weeks after Bobby Sands began his hunger strike. He was also the second striker to die, at 5:43pm BST on 12 May, after 59 days without food. His death led to an upsurge in rioting in nationalist areas of Northern Ireland. His cousin Thomas McElwee was the ninth hunger striker to die. Oliver Hughes, one of his brothers, was elected twice to Magherafelt District Council. He is commemorated on the Irish Martyrs Memorial at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney, Australia. He is"
"1981, ten hunger strikers had died. Their names, paramilitary affiliation, dates of death, and length of hunger strike are as follows: The original pathologist's report recorded the hunger strikers' cause of death as ""self-imposed starvation"". This was later amended to simply ""starvation"", after protests from the dead strikers' families. The coroner recorded verdicts of ""starvation, self-imposed"". Although ten men died during the course of the hunger strike, thirteen others began refusing food but were taken off hunger strike, either due to medical reasons or after intervention by their families. Many of them still suffer from the effects of the strike,"
"Raymond McCreesh Raymond McCreesh (, 25 February 1957 – 21 May 1981) was a volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). In 1976, he and two other IRA volunteers were captured while attempting to ambush a British Army observation post. McCreesh was one of the ten Irish republicans who died in the 1981 Irish hunger strike in the Maze Prison. Raymond Peter McCreesh, the seventh in a family of eight children, was born in St Malachy's Park, Camlough, on 25 February 1957. He was born into a strong Irish republican family, and was active"
"the council had failed to have due regard to the need to promote equality and good relations between people of different religious beliefs and political opinion. Raymond McCreesh Raymond McCreesh (, 25 February 1957 – 21 May 1981) was a volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). In 1976, he and two other IRA volunteers were captured while attempting to ambush a British Army observation post. McCreesh was one of the ten Irish republicans who died in the 1981 Irish hunger strike in the Maze Prison. Raymond Peter McCreesh, the seventh in a family"
"the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike by Irish republican paramilitary prisoners demanding prisoner of war status, of whom ten died. The explorer Thor Heyerdahl refused to eat or take medication for the last month of his life, after he was diagnosed with cancer. Anorexia nervosa has been referred to as a subconscious form of suicide. However, an anorexia nervosa death caused by self-starvation is not listed on death certificates as suicide. In the UK, refusal to adhere to norms regarding food and drink consumption can lead to being detained, treated and even force fed under section 3 of the Mental Health"
"IRA membership. The rifle that McCreesh had in his possession when captured was one of those used in the Kingsmill massacre on 5 January 1976, when 10 Protestant civilians were shot dead. McCreesh was sent to the Maze Prison. He joined the blanket protest and took part in the 1981 Irish hunger strike. He died on 21 May, after 61 days on hunger strike. One of the soldiers who captured McCreesh—Lance Corporal David Jones—was later killed by Francis Hughes, who died during the same hunger strike. A Newry playground was named after McCreesh after a motion led by Sinn Féin,"
"in the republican plot. Frank Stagg (Irish republican) Frank Stagg (; 4 October 1941 – 12 February 1976) was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) hunger striker from County Mayo, Ireland who died in 1976 in Wakefield Prison, West Yorkshire, England after 62 days on hunger strike. Stagg was the seventh child in a family of thirteen children. He was born in Hollymount, County Mayo, in 1941. His brother, Emmet Stagg was a Labour Party politician, formerly a Teachta Dála (TD) for Kildare North. Stagg was educated to primary level at Newbrook Primary School and at CBS Ballinrobe to secondary"
"1981 Irish hunger strike The 1981 Irish hunger strike was the culmination of a five-year protest during The Troubles by Irish republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. The protest began as the blanket protest in 1976, when the British government withdrew Special Category Status for convicted paramilitary prisoners. In 1978, the dispute escalated into the dirty protest, where prisoners refused to leave their cells to wash and covered the walls of their cells with excrement. In 1980, seven prisoners participated in the first hunger strike, which ended after 53 days. The second hunger strike took place in 1981 and was a"
"wear a prison uniform, demanded political status and joined the blanket protest. Quinn joined the hunger strike on 15 June 1981. When he was close to death after 47 days his mother asked for medical help to save his life. Paddy Quinn and his mother both described what happened in interviews for a BBC documentary on the hunger strikes in 1993. He was the first hunger striker whose family intervened. Paddy Quinn (Irish republican) Patrick Quinn (born 1962) was a volunteer with the 1st Battalion, South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who took part in the"
"January 1981, it became clear that the prisoners' demands had not been conceded. Prison authorities began to supply the prisoners with officially issued civilian clothing, whereas the prisoners demanded the right to wear their own clothing. On 4 February, the prisoners issued a statement saying that the British government had failed to resolve the crisis and declared their intention of ""hunger striking once more"". The second hunger strike began on 1 March, when Bobby Sands, the IRA's former officer commanding (OC) in the prison, refused food. Unlike the first strike, the prisoners joined one at a time and at staggered"
"refused repatriation to Ireland during the IRA/British truce. Stagg's demands were: The British government refused to meet any of these demands. Stagg died on 12 February 1976 after 62 days on hunger strike. The IRA swore revenge over his death, warning the British public it was going to attack indiscriminately. They exploded about 13 bombs throughout England within a month after Stagg's death. Frank Stagg's burial caused considerable controversy in Ireland, with republicans and two of his brothers seeking to have Stagg buried in the republican plot in Ballina in accordance with his wishes, while his widow, his brother Emmet"
"wing O'Rawe and McFarlane were on, Anthony McIntyre, has backed up O'Rawe's version of events in relation to the 1981 hunger strike. McDonnell is commemorated on the Irish Martyrs Memorial at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney, Australia. Joe McDonnell (hunger striker) Joseph (Joe) McDonnell (14 September 1951 – 8 July 1981) was a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), who died in the 1981 Irish hunger strike. McDonnell was born on Slate Street in the lower Falls Road of Belfast as one of 10 children. He attended a nearby Roman Catholic school. He married Goretti in 1970, and moved"
"a statement which he never signed was accepted by the court on the word of a Royal Ulster Constabulary Inspector. McKearney was involved in the blanket and dirty protests, and took part in the 1980 hunger strike along with other IRA members. Prior to commencing the hunger strike, McKearney told his mother and father: He spent 53 days on hunger strike, from 27 October to 18 December and, according to a doctor had only a few hours left to live when the strike was called off. McKearney was released from prison in 1993, having served 16 years of his sentence."
"the war, by rebelling and refusing to undertake any work. They issued a list of demands for better treatment, known as the Wakefield Manifesto. As a high-security prison, Wakefield was used to house IRA prisoners at various points in the 20th century. In some cases in the 1950s, the IRA attempted to free the prisoners, such as Cathal Goulding in 1956 (the attempt was aborted when the sirens sounded) and James Andrew Mary Murphy in 1959 (who was freed). During a hunger strike by Provisional IRA prisoners, Frank Stagg died in Wakefield Prison on 12 February 1976. The case brought"
"hunger strikers dying after 46 to 73 days of strike, for example the 1981 Irish hunger strike. In the early 20th century suffragettes frequently endured hunger strikes in British prisons. Marion Dunlop was the first in 1909. She was released, as the authorities did not want her to become a martyr. Other suffragettes in prison also undertook hunger strikes. The prison authorities subjected them to force-feeding, which the suffragettes categorized as a form of torture. Emmeline Pankhurst's sister Mary Clarke died shortly after being force-fed in prison, and others including Lady Constance Bulwer-Lytton are believed to have had serious health"
"Hughes, other members of the South Derry Independent Republican Unit and deceased volunteers of the South Derry Brigade of the Provisional IRA. He is also the subject of the Crucifucks' song ""The Story of Thomas McElwee"". Thomas McElwee Thomas McElwee (30 November 1957 - 8 August 1981) was an Irish republican who participated in the 1981 hunger strike and a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). From Bellaghy, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, he died at the age of 23 after 62 days on hunger strike. Thomas McElwee and his cousin Francis Hughes formed the South Derry Independent Republican"
"the IRA's campaign in Belfast in 1972. Adams subsequently denied any role in the death of McConville and said Hughes had been lying. Brendan Hughes Brendan Hughes (16 October 1948 – 16 February 2008), also known as ""The Dark"", and ""Darkie"" was a leading Irish republican and former Officer Commanding (OC) of the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). He was the leader of the 1980 Irish hunger strike. Hughes was born into an Irish Nationalist Catholic family from the Lower Falls Road area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. He became a member of the Merchant Navy in"
"and myself. When the barricades went up I wanted a gun so I approached this fella who was in the IRA and asked for gun and he said: could I shoot a British soldier? At that time I hadn't the idea that it was the British government's fault."" In 1981, Fox, serving a twelve-year sentence in the Maze Prison for possession of explosives and bombing a hotel, joined the hunger strike on 24 August, replacing Paddy Quinn who was taken off the strike by his family. Fox ended his strike after 32 days without food on 24 September after doctors"
"Frank Stagg (Irish republican) Frank Stagg (; 4 October 1941 – 12 February 1976) was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) hunger striker from County Mayo, Ireland who died in 1976 in Wakefield Prison, West Yorkshire, England after 62 days on hunger strike. Stagg was the seventh child in a family of thirteen children. He was born in Hollymount, County Mayo, in 1941. His brother, Emmet Stagg was a Labour Party politician, formerly a Teachta Dála (TD) for Kildare North. Stagg was educated to primary level at Newbrook Primary School and at CBS Ballinrobe to secondary level. After finishing his"