Was the Hunger Strike Campaign of the 1980's the Most Significant Action of the Ira's in That Decade?
Was the Hunger Strike Campaign of the 1980’s the most significant IRA action of that decade?
The Hunger Strike campaign during the 1980’s were well known in Northern Ireland and Britain and some say this one action was the most significant of the IRA’s during that decade. In this essay I will be exploring how actually The Hunger Strikes were maybe not the most significant actions as during this decade the Brighton Bombings and The Long War were other, very momentous action plans the IRA put into play and how actually these can also be titled ‘significant’ in their own right.
The Hunger Strike Campaigns held by the IRA were notorious across Northern Ireland and in Great Britain. One of the most well known hunger strikers was Bobby Sands. Sands was elected an MP in April 1981 and this bares significance as Sands was himself a senior IRA commander and fellow hunger striker. He had been imprisoned since 1976 for his hunger strike mind-set, refusing to eat any food or taken in any nutrients. Sands also issued a second set of hunger strikes during 1981. Like all other Hunger strikers, Sand’s wanted to get the point across that people will starve themselves until the time when the British Government will finally retreat from their country. In a sense, he was getting the opinion across to people that non-violent action could still generate enormous public attention. However what drew more public attention was Bobby sand’s own death in May 1981 when he succumbed to starvation after his sixty sixth day of his hunger strike. A source showing a picture taken in May 1981 during his funeral shows thousands of people surrounding and marching behind his coffin as it is carried down a street. This source tells us that Bobby Sand’s death proved very significant in the IRA actions as his death grasped the publics, and media’s, full attention. Clearly the people felt that Sands was brave and strong-willed, dying for a cause he so strongly believed in.
The Hunger Strike campaign
The Hunger Strike campaign during the 1980’s were well known in Northern Ireland and Britain and some say this one action was the most significant of the IRA’s during that decade. In this essay I will be exploring how actually The Hunger Strikes were maybe not the most significant actions as during this decade the Brighton Bombings and The Long War were other, very momentous action plans the IRA put into play and how actually these can also be titled ‘significant’ in their own right.
The Hunger Strike Campaigns held by the IRA were notorious across Northern Ireland and in Great Britain. One of the most well known hunger strikers was Bobby Sands. Sands was elected an MP in April 1981 and this bares significance as Sands was himself a senior IRA commander and fellow hunger striker. He had been imprisoned since 1976 for his hunger strike mind-set, refusing to eat any food or taken in any nutrients. Sands also issued a second set of hunger strikes during 1981. Like all other Hunger strikers, Sand’s wanted to get the point across that people will starve themselves until the time when the British Government will finally retreat from their country. In a sense, he was getting the opinion across to people that non-violent action could still generate enormous public attention. However what drew more public attention was Bobby sand’s own death in May 1981 when he succumbed to starvation after his sixty sixth day of his hunger strike. A source showing a picture taken in May 1981 during his funeral shows thousands of people surrounding and marching behind his coffin as it is carried down a street. This source tells us that Bobby Sand’s death proved very significant in the IRA actions as his death grasped the publics, and media’s, full attention. Clearly the people felt that Sands was brave and strong-willed, dying for a cause he so strongly believed in.
The Hunger Strike campaign