Death of hunger-strike author David Beresford

Posted by Jim on May 4, 2016

An award-winning journalist credited with writing the definitive account
of the 1981 Hunger Strike has died in South Africa.

David Beresford passed away in his Johannesburg home this week. He
worked for the Guardian newspaper and was their Ireland correspondent
during the late 1970s and early eighties, covering many stories from the
conflict

It was during this time he reported on the prison campaign by republican
PoWs and Margaret Thatcher’s government attempts to criminalise the IRA.
He later penned the book Ten Men Dead, one of the most detailed accounts
of the period which saw 10 republicans fast until death in the H-Blocks.

Given unique access to source material, Mr Beresford pieced together the
story of the protest through interviews and secret communications
carried in and out of the prison.

The respected journalist later moved to South Africa where he covered
the period leading up to the end of apartheid including the release of
Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990.

In 1991 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Despite his illness
he continued to work as a foreign correspondent and underwent radical
treatments to try to beat the disease.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams paid tribute to the journalist last night
and described Ten Men Dead as “probably the best book written about that
period”.

“David was an exceptional journalist,” he said.

“He was also the Guardian’s reporter in South Africa during tumultuous
changes in that country. He also faced huge challenges in his own life
battling Parkinson’s disease. I want to extend my deepest condolences to
David’s family.”

YOUNGEST BLANKETMAN

Meanwhile, a west Belfast man who was the youngest to take part in the
H-Block blanket protests during the conflict has also passed away.

Father-of-three Peter Kavanagh died on Saturday at a Belfast hospice
surrounded by his family following a long battle with cancer. Known as
Dee, he was aged 16 when he spent nearly three years from 1978 on the
republican blanket protest while in the H-blocks of Long Kesh. The
protest was against Thatcher’s attempts to force IRA PoWs to wear prison
uniforms.

His family told on Monday how he held onto life long enough to cradle
his second grandchild, Daniel Peter, who was born just hours before he
passed away.

“The little baby was brought over from the Royal hospital before he
died. I think he held on to see him,” Ms Connors said.

Mr Kavanagh wore only a blanket, refusing to wear prison clothes, after
being jailed for throwing a petrol bomb, a charge his family say he
always denied.

His older brother John Kavanagh said: “He was 16 and he was caught up in
trouble during the queen’s visit. He was sentenced for throwing a petrol
bomb – he was never in court in his life.”