Hunger Strike (PDF)

The hunger strikes of 1980-81 were a confrontation between British Prime Minister MargaretThatcher and the iron will of Irish republican prisoners in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh, in anattempt to break the British policy of criminalising paramilitary prisoners. The prisoners'ultimate demand, to be granted a 'special category status' that distinguished them fromother prisoners, led to two hunger strikes. The first, in 1980, ended without success for theprisoners; the second, led by Bobby Sands, resulted in ten prisoners starving themselves todeath. The consequences of the hunger strikes changed Irish politics and British-Irish relationsforever, beginning the long path to eventual peace with the signing of the Good FridayAgreement in 1998.Now, with the release of recently declassified documents, Thomas Hennessey forensicallyexamines the origins and evolution of the prisons dispute, leading up to the first hungerstrike of 1980, and setting the scene for the final confrontation with the British Governmentin 1981. Alongside republican protagonists - Bobby Sands and Gerry Adams - MargaretThatcher's personal role in the hunger strikes is analysed in detail, including her clasheswith Charles Haughey and Garret FitzGerald, and also revealing her authorisation of thebackchannel between MI6 and the IRA. Hennessey also addresses the controversial issuessurrounding the hunger strike, in particular, whether there was a deal on the table thatcould have ended the strike in July 1981, and whether it was accepted by the prisoners inthe H-Blocks.Hunger Strike is the definitive account of one of the seminal events in modern Irish history.The hunger strikes of 1980-81 were a confrontation between British Prime Minister MargaretThatcher and the iron will of Irish republican prisoners in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh, in anattempt to break the British policy of criminalising paramilitary prisoners. The prisoners'ultimate demand, to be granted a 'special category status' that distinguished them fromother prisoners, led to two hunger strikes. The first, in 1980, ended without success for theprisoners; the second, led by Bobby Sands, resulted in ten prisoners starving themselves todeath. The consequences of the hunger strikes changed Irish politics and British-Irish relationsforever, beginning the long path to eventual peace with the signing of the Good FridayAgreement in 1998.Now, with the release of recently declassified documents, Thomas Hennessey forensicallyexamines the origins and evolution of the prisons dispute, leading up to the first hungerstrike of 1980, and setting the scene for the final confrontation with the British Governmentin 1981. Alongside republican protagonists - Bobby Sands and Gerry Adams - MargaretThatcher's personal role in the hunger strikes is analysed in detail, including her clasheswith Charles Haughey and Garret FitzGerald, and also revealing her authorisation of thebackchannel between MI6 and the IRA. Hennessey also addresses the controversial issuessurrounding the hunger strike, in particular, whether there was a deal on the table thatcould have ended the strike in July 1981, and whether it was accepted by the prisoners inthe H-Blocks.Hunger Strike is the definitive account of one of the seminal events in modern Irish history.