The Troubles: duration of hunger strikes 1981

The 1981 Hunger Strike was one of the most significant events of the Troubles. On March 1, 1981, Bobby Sands was the first of 23 republican prisoners, all from the Irish Republican Army (IRA) or Irish Nationalist Liberation Army (INLA), in HM Prison Maze to begin their hunger strike, which would eventually result in the deaths of 10 participants. 

Background

In the late 70s, the withdrawal of “Special Category” (Prisoner of War) status changed the rights of paramilitary prisoners, and led to; blanket protests, where prisoners refused to wear criminal uniforms; dirty protests, where prisoners refused to shower and smeared excrement on the cell walls (also to protest guard violence); and a hunger strike in 1980, although this was cancelled after 53 days, without any deaths. The 1980 hunger strike ended as the strikers believed the government was ready to agree to some of their demands. The five key demands were: 1. the right not to wear a prison uniform; 2. the right not to do prison work; 3. the right of free association with other prisoners (incl. educational and recreational pursuits); 4. the right to one visit, one letter, and one parcel per week; and 5. full restoration of remission lost through the protest.

1981 Hunger strike

When it became apparent that these demands would not be met without concessions, another strike began on March 1, 1981. Bobby Sands was considered the leader of the movement, and was the first to go on hunger strike. Unlike the previous strike, participants in 1981 staggered their starting dates to prolong the strike for as long as possible, with four men starting in March. During Sands' strike, a sitting member of parliament from Northern Ireland died suddenly, which resulted in a by-election, and Sands was put forward as the nationalist candidate for the "Anti H-Block" movement. Sands won the election with 51 percent of the vote, although he died 26 days later, triggering another by-election (again, won by the Anti H-Block candidate). Similarly, Kieran Doherty was also elected to the Irish Parliament in the June 1981 general election, but died two months later. Sands had been the first of the hunger strikers to die, after 66 days, and his funeral in Belfast was attended by more than 100,000 people, showing the level of public support for the movement. As the first strikers died, they were then replaced by other participants; therefore, there were (almost) always between four and six men striking at any given time. 10 of the first 12 strikers died, before the families of the later strikers began ordering medical interventions when it became apparent that the government would not concede. Two of the strikes were also ended prematurely as the volunteers' conditions deteriorated much faster than expected. Eventually, the strike was ended after eight months, on October 3, as the "special category" status and accompanying rights were gradually reintroduced, and all demands were met by 1983.

Consequences

The Thatcher government's defiance of the prisoners' demands, and the deaths of 10 republicans, was painted as a victory by parts of the British press. However, the more lasting impact was that the hunger strikers became martyrs for the republican cause, and led to an uptick in paramilitary violence and IRA membership. The IRA's bombing of the Conservative Party conference in 1984 was also in retaliation for the deaths of the hunger strikers - Margaret Thatcher was the intended target but was unharmed, although five others were killed and over 30 injured. Sands' election also marked the first time a militant republican had achieved political success, and paved the way for Sinn Fein (then viewed as the political wing of the IRA) to take a significant role in British and Irish politics in the decades that followed.