The Five Demands

The Five Demands

Hunger-Striking has a long and chequered history in Ireland and dates back to the Brehon Laws which was practised well before the English invasion. Fasting was originally called Troscádh and was listed in the Senchas Mór an ancient journal. The book stipulated how Irish laws were governed. Striking was mainly used to shame an Offender or to right an injustice.
 
Due to the importance of hospitality in Irish culture, Troscádh would be used against an offender with the victim starving on his or her doorstep. If the offender ignored the Striker, he or she was deemed to have inflicted the greatest of dishonour to his community. If the Striker was allowed to die outside the Offender’s home, the Offender would then be ordered by a Brehon (Judge) to pay compensation to the Striker’s family. He would also be sent from the village in which he/she lived to live forever in exile. Most fasts were undertaken to recover debts or to achieve justice for a perceived wrong.

Throughout the 20th Century, Republican Prisoners used various Hunger-Strikes to achieve Political Status. Sadly some 22 POWs’ died in Irish and British Gaols between 1917 and 1981. The first Republican to embark on a Hunger-Strike was Leading Trade Unionist, James Connolly. Who successfully fasted against his unfair imprisonment. He was released and went onto lead the 1916 Easter Rising. The death on Hunger and Thirst Strike of IRA Chief, Sean McCaughey in 1946 led to the fall of the Fianna Fail Government two years later. In 1972, a number of Republican Prisoners, led by Billy McKee held a successful Strike for Political Status. In 1976, the British Government revoked Political Status and attempted to treat Republican Prisoners as criminals. However, they resisted and refused to conform to the new system.

After five years of being held in atrocious conditions. The IRA and INLA Prisoners embarked on a mass Hunger-Strike for over 52 days. The Strike generated huge sympathy throughout Ireland and beyond. The British promised a deal which they later reneged on which led to another more intense fast, led by Bobby Sands. Three of the H-Block Hunger-Strikers including Sands, were subsequently elected to Westminster and the Dublin Parliaments in the summer of 1981. The plight of the prisoners achieved world-wide recognition and enabled an entirely new generation of Republican Activists throughout the Country.

Which is why the recent release of British Government documents relating to the 1981 Hunger-Strike in which ten Irish Political Prisoners tragically died is a must for anyone interested in our Nation’s history.

For the past thirty most people accepted that the British Government, particularly Maggie Thatcher ignored the suffering of the Hunger-Strikers and ‘allowed’ them to die agonising deaths. Their untimely deaths still cause raw emotions to surface whenever the subject is mentioned in most Irish homes. The truth behind the young mens’ deaths have caused Irish Republicans many sleepless nights and the Strikers are enshrined as heroes. While Maggie Thatcher is hated as much as Oliver Cromwell ever was.

In 2006, former H-Block Blanketman and the Hunger-Strikers PRO, Richard O’Rawe published his memoirs entitled; ‘Blanketmen’. He courted controversary by suggesting that the IRA Leadership outside vetoed a deal offered by the British Government that would have ended the 1981 Strike. He further alleged that the reason behind the veto was to further electoral advantage for Sinn Fein.

O’Rawe’s allegations were quickly rejected by a number of former IRA Prisoners including the 1981 H-Block O/C, Bik McFarlane. As a result, of his claims, Richard has been villified, smeared and slandered by Provisional Sinn Fein.

Since the rejections however, a number of once ‘secret’ documents have been put in the public domain. Which seem to confirm O’Rawe’s allegations. One such exchange took place in Derry at a public meeting that was addressed by the once secret contact between the Provisional IRA Leadership and the British Government, Brendan Duddy.

At the meeting, Duddy confirmed that the British had relayed to him the proposed deal which he then gave to the IRA Leadership. He was asked a number of questions from the floor and he reiterated the same answer. Duddy has since lodged his papers which include the ‘deal’ with Galway University.

The former O/C of INLA Prisoners in Long Kesh also backs O’Rawe’s account. As the IRSP and its prisoners were never informed by the PIRA of a possible deal from the British. Which is very surprising given that INLA Volunteeer, Patsy O’Hara had already died and another two of his comrades, Kevin Lynch and Micky Devine would also die on the Strike.

The main crux of the issue is did the British Government offer a ‘deal’ to the Strikers on the fifth of July, 1981 or not? Recent declassified documents suggest there was indeed a deal that was rejected by the IRA. In addition, senior Republican, Danny Morrison was given a visit by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) on the same day to speak with the Hunger-Strikers and the IRA O/C, Bik McFarlane.

Danny has stated that the British did not have its deal constructed properly and as such, he didn’t tell the Strikers. Although, after his visit Bik told O’Rawe that the Brits offered a good deal and that the lads should accept it. Bik rejects such an exchange took place. However, Richard claims that the deal was accepted by the Prison Leadership but was rejected by the IRA Leadership outside to gain electoral advantage for Provisional S/F.

The truth of what really occurred in 1981 is somewhere in the detail above? What is not in dispute is that ten brave Irishmen died horrible deaths in a British Prison, before Britain accepted their right to be treated as Political Prisoners.

As a former H-Block Prisoner myself, I am eternally grateful to the Blanketmen, the women in Armagh and the ten Hunger-Strikers for their courage and for achieving Political Status.