Re: Food is a drug. I
the hunger strike in ireland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Irish_hunger_strike
Participants who died on hunger strike
Over the summer of 1981, ten hunger strikers had died. Their names, paramilitary affiliation, dates of death, and length of hunger strike are as follows:
| Name |
Paramilitary affiliation |
Strike started |
Date of death |
Length of strike |
Reason for imprisonment |
| Bobby Sands |
IRA |
1 March |
5 May |
66 days |
Possession of a handgun |
| Francis Hughes |
IRA |
15 March |
12 May |
59 days |
Various offences, including the murder of a soldier |
| Raymond McCreesh |
IRA |
22 March |
21 May |
61 days |
Attempted murder, possession of a rifle, IRA membership |
| Patsy O’Hara |
INLA |
22 March |
21 May |
61 days |
Possession of a hand grenade |
| Joe McDonnell |
IRA |
8 May |
8 July |
61 days |
Possession of a firearm |
| Martin Hurson |
IRA |
28 May |
13 July |
46 days |
Attempted murder, involvement in explosions, IRA membership |
| Kevin Lynch |
INLA |
23 May |
1 August |
71 days |
Stealing shotguns, taking part in a punishment shooting |
| Kieran Doherty |
IRA |
22 May |
2 August |
73 days |
Possession of firearms and explosives, hijacking |
| Thomas McElwee |
IRA |
8 June |
8 August |
62 days |
Manslaughter |
| Michael Devine |
INLA |
22 June |
20 August |
60 days |
Theft and possession of firearms |
The original pathologist's report recorded the hunger strikers' cause of death as "self-imposed starvation". This was later amended to simply "starvation", after protests from the dead strikers' families. The coroner recorded verdicts of "starvation, self-imposed".[39]
Other participants in the hunger strike
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.[40][41]
| Name |
Paramilitary affiliation |
Strike started |
Strike ended |
Length of strike |
Reason for ending strike |
| Brendan McLaughlin |
IRA |
14 May |
26 May |
13 days |
Suffering from a perforated ulcer and internal bleeding |
| Paddy Quinn |
IRA |
15 June |
31 July |
47 days |
Taken off by his family |
| Laurence McKeown |
IRA |
29 June |
6 September |
70 days |
Taken off by his family |
| Pat McGeown |
IRA |
9 July |
20 August |
42 days |
Taken off by his family |
| Matt Devlin |
IRA |
14 July |
4 September |
52 days |
Taken off by his family |
| Liam McCloskey |
INLA |
3 August |
26 September |
55 days |
His family said they would intervene if he became unconscious |
| Patrick Sheehan |
IRA |
10 August |
3 October |
55 days |
End of hunger strike |
| Jackie McMullan |
IRA |
17 August |
3 October |
48 days |
End of hunger strike |
| Bernard Fox |
IRA |
24 August |
24 September |
32 days |
Suffering from an obstructed kidney |
| Hugh Carville |
IRA |
31 August |
3 October |
34 days |
End of hunger strike |
| John Pickering |
IRA |
7 September |
3 October |
27 days |
End of hunger strike |
| Gerard Hodgkins |
IRA |
14 September |
3 October |
20 days |
End of hunger strike |
| James Devine |
IRA |
21 September |
3 October |
13 days |
End of hunger strike |