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Blanketmen: An Untold Story of the H-block Hunger Strike

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The same thing was to happen later in Armagh in February 1980 when the prison administration attacked the women political prisoners, assaulting them and withdrawing toilet facilities. At the center of O'Rawe's book lies the disclosure that six of the ten H-Block hunger strikers starved themselves to death in vain, as an offer from the British Government was on the table that could have ended the strike after four of them had died.

This left one censored letter in and out of the prison each month as their only contact with the outside world, until after several months some prisoners compromised by agreeing to wear uniforms for visits to maintain contact with the paramilitary leaderships outside the prison.

The lies, threats and intimidation that were afforded him in the immediate aftermath of this book coming out shows how much truth there actually is in this book and how the Hunger Strikers were actually pawns in a game being played by both the British and Irish Republicans not only at the time but still now in 2010 seeing they are the biggest money maker for Provisional Sinn Fein, and Gerry Adams in person seeing as he is the only one in charge of the Bobby Sands Trust, not even the Sands family are afforded any say in what the Trust does, claims or any money they might make. On Wednesday, December 10th, when a senior member of the colonial Northern Ireland Office, a Mr Blellock, met the seven H-Block hunger strikers in the prison hospital and read out to them the prison reforms that were then available but refused to answer questions or negotiate with Brendan Hughes, former O/C of the blanket men. In this passionate and controversial book, O'Rawe reveals the rationale and motives behind the negotiations and strategy changes that eventually brought about the Peace Process.

The author tells his story with wry humour starting with how he ended up inside after a bodged up bank robbery for the IRA. 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". It became clear very quickly that these men had been backed into a corner and had no option but to see it through. The narration is often confusing because of unannounced time leaps and inconsistent usage of people's names and nicknames.

Prisoners were entitled to four visits from friends or family each month, three were in exchange for good behaviour and the fourth was statutory.

One of the 'Blanketmen', he took part in the dirty protests that led to the hunger strikes of the early 1980s. I just did not particularly want to go along for the ride; I just could not agree to get down and dirty with him and his compatriots. One of the ‘Blanketmen’, he took part in the dirty protests that led to the hunger strikes of the early 1980s.Long Kesh, by name and appearance was known worldwide as a concentration camp and the large number of political prisoners drawn from all over the Six Counties enjoyed, through family, community and local connections, maximum support. Ructions conjured up, in my mind, an individual who was a menace to society, someone who would be capable of committing murder on the one hand and showing common decency on the other. one small criticism is that it should of been read by someone from the North of Ireland who could pronounce the place names and a few other things properly.

Brutal account of both the prison officers abuse but also brutally honest about the failings of IRA leadership on the outside. Bobby Sands himself publicly expressed satisfaction at the new era of cooperation inside the jail, unprecedented since the British government embarked upon its policy of criminalisation in March 1976. In the draft that had been rejected by the London publishers, Ructions had been shot dead at the end of the book). Still, on a Friday night, over a glass (or two) of burgundy, I enjoyed tinkering with it and throwing plot lines about in my head.I was fortunate enough to have the help of his sister, Ann McKernan, and his many friends including Johnny Depp, who wrote a magnificent foreword about their antics while holidaying in Kerry and Cork. This is an interesting book for those looking for more information about the H-Blocks and the blanketmen hunger strike(s) during that time. He has been married to Bernadette for 40 years, has three grown-up children, and still lives in west Belfast. It is terribly distracting and sounds very silly, which is unfortunate given the seriousness of the topic.

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