Ten Men Dead: The Story of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike

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He had told me of his Parkinson’s while we were at a funeral in Soweto surrounded by mourners dancing the toyi-toyi. The illness we shared created a lasting bond. We parted. I rejoined colleagues, but David, unkempt as ever, his battered canvas bag slung over his shoulder, notebook in hand, went on alone, and was soon swallowed by the crowd.

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, with problems including digestive, visual, physical and neurological disabilities. [45] [46] Name Rowan, Brian (2011). The Armed Peace: Life and Death after the Ceasefires. Mainstream Publishing. p.84. ISBN 978-1-84018-862-2. Beresford, David (5 October 1981). "The deaths that gave new life to an IRA legend". The Guardian. UK . Retrieved 26 May 2007. 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 (prisoner of war rather than criminal 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 53days. [1] a b c d e f g h i "The Hunger Strike of 1981 – A Chronology of Main Events". CAIN. Archived from the original on 31 May 2007 . Retrieved 26 May 2007.

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the right of free association with other prisoners, and to organise educational and recreational pursuits; That’s it!” said one of them, grabbing it. As they paid and headed for the exit my pride of authorship became too much for me. a b c d Beresford, David (1987). Ten Men Dead. Atlantic Monthly Press. pp.13–16. ISBN 0-87113-702-X. In the two weeks following Sands' death, three more hunger strikers died. Francis Hughes died on 12 May, resulting in further rioting in nationalist areas of Northern Ireland, in particular Derry and Belfast. Following the deaths of Raymond McCreesh and Patsy O'Hara on 21 May, Tomás Ó Fiaich, by then Primate of All Ireland, criticised the British government's handling of the hunger strike. [1] Despite this, Thatcher continued to refuse to negotiate a settlement, stating "Faced with the failure of their discredited cause, the men of violence have chosen in recent months to play what may well be their last card", during a visit to Belfast in late May. [30]

We get a bit worried when a man with an English accent phones up and wants a tour of Derry.” With a wave he accelerated away.The chorus of the song introduces the idea of brotherhood, as the singer calls on "Brothers" to "walk tonight/Bearing the holy light." The seven men who are "dead by the side of the road" are referred to as if they were comrades, united in a cause that is never revealed. The second verse of the song continues this theme, with a reference to Jesus "preaching paradise," as "A million men [lie] dead on the sole of the earth." The sense of injustice and despair is palpable in these lines, as the singer seems to be mourning the loss of so many lives. Peterkin, Tom (7 October 2006). "Ex-IRA hunger striker criticises 'celebrations' ". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 17 March 2007 . Retrieved 26 May 2007.