Hunger Strike begins March 1st, 1981

Posted by Jim on February 27, 2022

Bobby Sands – born March 9th, 1954 – died May 5th, 1981Began Hunger Strike March 1st, 1981Bobby Sands was born in Abbots Cross, Newtownabbey and lived there until 1960[1] and then moved to Rathcoole, Newtownabbey. His family had moved due to intimidation by loyalists, although it was not clear that the Sands were Roman Catholics as their last name derived from his paternal grandfather who was a Protestant.[2] On leaving school, he became an apprentice coach-builder, until he was forced out at gunpoint by loyalists.[3] In June 1972, at the age of 18 he moved to the Twinbrook housing estate with his family.Sands’ sister Bernadette Sands McKevitt is a prominent Republican who is no longer aligned with the Provisional movement. She is married to Michael McKevitt who is currently imprisoned in the Irish Republic after being convicted of directing terrorism as leader of the RIRA, the group responsible for the Omagh Bombing which killed 29 people.In 1972, the year of the Troubles with the highest death toll, he joined the Provisional Irish Republican Army. In October of that year, Sands was arrested and charged with possession of four handguns which were found in the house in which he was staying. In April 1973 he was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment [5] [6].On his release in 1976, he returned to his family in Twinbrook in west Belfast. Sands returned to active service in the IRA. It was claimed that in October 1976 he was involved in the bombing of the Balmoral Furniture Company in Dunmurry, although he was never convicted of this bombing, and at the trial the judge said there was no evidence to support the assertion that he took part in the bombing. After the bombing, Sands and at least five others in the bomb team, were allegedly involved in a gun battle with the police, although he was also never convicted of this, for lack of evidence. Abandoning two of their wounded friends, Seamus Martin and Gabriel Corbett, Sands with Joe McDonnell, Seamus Finucane and Sean Lavery, tried to escape in a car, but were caught. One of the revolvers used in the robbery was found in the car in which Sands was travelling.His trial (in September 1977) saw him convicted of possession of firearms, the revolver from which bullets had been fired at the police after the bombing, and was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment.PrisonerHe served his prison term at HM Prison Maze, also known by Irish republicans as Long Kesh. After internment a series of buildings known from their floor plans as ‘H-Blocks’ were built to make the prison suitable for the large number of inmates belonging to paramilitary organisations; each block contained members of the same organisation.In prison, Sands became a writer both of journalism and poetry which was published in the Irish republican newspaper An Phoblacht. In late 1980 Sands was chosen as Officer Commanding IRA prisoners in Long Kesh.Political status protestsRepublican prisoners had organised a series of protests seeking to regain their previous status of political prisoners and not be subject to ordinary prison regulations. This started with the “blanket protest” in 1976, when the prisoners refused to wear uniform and wore blankets instead. Attempts to break the protest by brutalisation of prisoners saw the escalation to the “dirty protest” of 1978 when repeated beatings during “slop-out” led to prisoners living in squalor by smearing excrement on the walls.[8] There had been an earlier hunger strike in Autumn 1980, which had ended when the British Government appeared to concede the prisoners’ demands. When that strike was over, the Government reverted to it’s previous stance.Hunger strikeThe Second Hunger Strike started with Sands refusing food on 1 March 1981. Sands decided that other prisoners should join the strike at staggered intervals in order to maximise publicity with prisoners steadily deteriorating and dying successively over several months.The hunger strike centred around “Five Demands”:The right not to wear a prison uniform;The right not to do prison work;The right of free association with other prisoners;The right to organise their own educational and recreational facilities;The right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week.The significance of the hunger strike was wider, however, and was aimed at embarrassing the government and forcing it into concessionsElectionShortly after the beginning of the strike, Frank Maguire, the Independent Republican MP for Fermanagh & South Tyrone died of a heart attack suddenly and precipitated a by-election.The sudden vacancy in a seat with a small Roman Catholic majority was a valuable opportunity for Sands’ supporters to unite the nationalist community behind their campaign [citation needed]. Pressure not to split the vote led other nationalist parties, notably the Social Democratic and Labour Party, to withdraw and Sands was nominated on an “Anti H-Block/Armagh Political Prisoner” ticket. After a highly polarised campaign, Sands narrowly won the seat on 9 April 1981, with 30,493 votes to 29,046 for the Ulster Unionist Party candidate Harry West, incidentally also becoming the youngest MP at the time. [9]Following Sands’ success the Government rushed through Parliament the Representation of the People Act 1981 which prevents convicted prisoners serving jail terms of more than one year in either the UK or the Republic of Ireland, or unlawfully at large when they should be serving such a sentence, from being nominated as candidates in elections.DeathThree weeks later, Bobby Sands MP died from starvation in the prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27. The announcement of his death prompted several days of riots in nationalist areas of Northern Ireland. Over 100,000 [11] people lined the route of his funeral. Sands was a Member of the Westminster Parliament for twenty-five days, though he never took his seat or oath.He was survived by his parents, siblings, and a young son (Gerard) from his marriage to Geraldine Noade.Political impactNine other IRA and INLA members who were involved in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike also died after Bobby Sands. Many Irish Republicans and IRA sympathisers regard Bobby Sands and the other nine men as being martyrs who stood firm against the intransigence of the British Government, and many Irish nationalists who abhorred the IRA were outraged at the British government’s stance. On the other hand, Unionists saw him as a pawn in a wider political movement which was trying to force concessions for republicans [citation needed].The media coverage that surrounded the death of Bobby Sands resulted in a new surge of IRA activity and an immediate escalation in the Troubles , with the group obtaining many more members and increasing its fundraising capability. Both nationalists and unionists began to harden their attitudes and move towards political extremes. [12] Sands’ Westminster seat was taken by his election agent, Owen Carron standing as ‘Anti H-Block Proxy Political Prisoner’ with an increased majority ReactionsEuropeIn Milan, 5,000 students burned the Union Flag and shouted “Freedom for Ulster” during a march.In Ghent, students invaded the British Consulate.In Paris, thousands of Marxists marched behind huge portraits of Sands, to chants of ‘The IRA will conquer.’In Oslo, demonstrators threw a balloon filled with tomato sauce at Elizabeth II, the Queen of the UK and Commonwealth.In the Soviet Union, Pravda described it as ‘another tragic page in the grim chronicle of oppression, discrimination, terror and violence’ in Ireland.In France, many towns and cities have named streets for Sands. Examples include Nantes, Le Mans and St Denis.USA The Longshoremen’s Union in New York announced a twenty-four-hour boycott of British ships. [15]Over 1,000 people gathered in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral to hear Cardinal Cook offer a Mass of reconciliation for Northern Ireland. Irish bars in the city were closed for two hours in mourning.In Hartford, Connecticut a monument was dedicated to Bobby Sands and the other hunger strikers in 1997. The monument stands in a traffic circle known as “Bobby Sands Circle”, at the bottom of Maple Avenue near Goodwin Park[16].The New Jersey State legislature voted 34-29 for a resolution honouring his ‘courage and commitment.'[17]The Grateful Dead played the Nassau Colliseum on the night Sands died and guitarist Bob Weir dedicated the song “He’s Gone” to Sands. It was notable as the band made a conscious effort throughout their career to be apolitical. The concert was later released as Volume 13 of the band’s “Dick’s Picks” series of concert releases.Asia and OceaniaIn Tehran, Iran revolutionaries sympathizing with Sands renamed the street on which the British embassy was located on from Winston Churchill street to Bobby Sands street. The name remains despite pressure from the British foreign secretary to change it [19].The Hindustan Times said Margaret Thatcher had allowed a fellow Member of Parliament to die of starvation, an incident which had never before occurred ‘in a civilized country.'[17]In India, Opposition members of the Upper House stood for a minute’s silence in tribute.The Hong Kong Standard said it was ‘sad that successive British governments have failed to end the last of Europe’s religious wars. MusicSongs written in response to the hunger strikes and Sands death include;The Ballad of Joe McDonnell- The Wolfe TonesIt’s gonna happen[20] – The UndertonesThe Roll of Honour – Gerry O’Glacain (The Irish Brigade)10 Years On – Blaggers I.T.A.Bobby Sands – KretensThe Sign – Eric BogleBobby Untitled – Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers on his solo album “I Killed The Zeitgeist”The People’s Own MP – Christy MooreThe Time Has Come – Christy Moore (although written specifically after the death of Patsy O’Hara)Bobby Sands MP – Black 47Bobby Sands – Christy MooreInspiration – EasterhouseThe Ghosts of Long Kesh – Crimson SpectreThe H Block Song- Francie BrollyWhilst in prison, Sands wrote the song “Back Home In Derry” which would be later recorded by Christy Moore.