Voices of ’81 will tell the story of the hunger strike from the inside
Posted by Jim on March 29, 2021
A fascinating new podcast has been launched to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike.
The Guthanna/Voices of ’81 Podcast features first-hand testimony from the men and women of the H-Blocks and Armagh Gaol as well as the stories of those outside the prisons who were involved in the struggle against criminalisation.
Episode One saw former IRA Officer Commanding (OC) for the H-Blocks, Bik McFarlane reflect on the events surrounding the 1981 hunger strike and the experience of the PoWs in Long Kesh at the time.
The latest episode features the fascinating account of Mary Nelis – a leading campaigner with the Relatives’ Action Committee during the prison protest – who recalls her memories of visiting Long Kesh and seeing her two sons’ experience the brutal prison regime.
Voices of ’81 will contain a total of 30 episodes, which will be launched in the months ahead.
Speaking about the initiative, former blanketman and H-Blocks OC, Séanna Walsh, said the podcast aims to ensure that the public hears “from a broad number of voices about the period”.
“There is so much interest out there and it is not waning in any way, and those of us who are left look at it as our duty to make sure that people understand what happened at that time, why we did what we did, and why the state fought so viciously to deny our demands,” he said.
“The podcast will be available for people throughout the world and it’s a recording that will be there forever.
“There will be other things happening locally, but we thought this was very worthwhile and we want to make sure that the voices that are often not heard are brought to the fore and the story is heard.”
To tune in to the podcast visit the Bobby Sands Trust website.