“Denounced by right-wing press and politicians as the ‘IRA’s best friend’, the BBC had to walk a fine line between reporting events and being seen as a vehicle for IRA propaganda” writes Prof Robert Savage, a lecturer in Irish, British and European history at Boston...

Former blanket man Eoghan Mac Cormaic attended a meeting in London last week, part of a series of reflections on the 1981 hunger striker organised by the Irish Times. Here, he reports on the conference. A few months back I noticed an advertisement for a symposium...

Last Saturday night, after Mass at the Church of St Malachy in Camlough, a commemoration in memory of IRA Volunteer Raymond McCreesh, who died on hunger strike thirty-five years ago, was attended by a large number of relatives, comrades, friends and neighbours in the...

Twenty-three-year-old Patsy O’Hara from Derry city, was the former leader of the Irish National Liberation Army prisoners in the H-Blocks, and joined IRA Volunteer Raymond McCreesh on hunger strike on March 22nd, three weeks after Bobby Sands and one week after...

Here are some events taking place in the next two days to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the death on hunger strike of Raymond McCreesh who died at 2.11 a.m. on Thursday, May 21st, 1981, after 61 days on hunger strike. Friday, 20th May: There will be a talk in...

There was a large turn-out in Bellaghy, South Derry, to mark the 35th anniversary of the death of IRA Volunteer Francis Hughes. Supporters and relatives assembled at Gulladuff Road before parading behind bands through Bellaghy to the cemetery of St Mary’s on the...

Pilib O Rúnaí is a former blanketman and was a friend and comrade of Bobby Sands. In this film commissioned by the Bobby Sands Trust, Pilib talks about the men with whom he was in prison, his last days with Bobby and what he feels is the legacy of the 1981 hunger...

Pluto Press has just published a new edition of Bobby Sands: Nothing But An Unfinished Song, the best-selling biography by Denis O'Hearn that originally came out on the 25th anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike (see former edition on home page). For a limited time,...

In The Simplicity of His Defiance - Kieran Nugent. A name that makes you proud to be from West Belfast. A name that was on our lips for years. So familiar. Yet, go back. In truth, the Republican Movement in 1976 was very disorganised. One day a middle-aged man and...

There are many events taking place this week to commemorate the executions of the 1916 leaders and the 35th anniversary of the death of Bobby Sands and the H-Block hunger strike of 1981 when ten men died over a seven month period. For updates please follow us.