Bobby Sands
IRA volunteer; MP; hunger striker
"Our revenge will be the laughter of our children."
Biography
A young Belfast man radicalised by sectarian intimidation of his family, Bobby Sands joined the Provisional IRA as a teenager and spent much of his short adult life in prison. In 1981, as leader of the republican prisoners in the Maze, he led a hunger strike demanding political status, refusing food while, in an extraordinary twist, being elected a Member of the British Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. His election focused the eyes of the world on the prison protest, but Margaret Thatcher would not concede, and Sands died after 66 days without food, aged 27. His death, followed by that of nine more strikers, brought tens of thousands into the streets, generated global sympathy for the republican cause, and — by proving the electoral appeal of the movement — helped launch Sinn Féin as a political force. He remains the most famous martyr of Irish republicanism.
Did you know?
He wrote poetry and prose smuggled out of prison on cigarette papers, and streets and squares from Tehran to Paris have been named after him.
Key Battles
The 1981 Hunger Strike
Irish Republicans (IRA) victoryMay 5, 1981 · 10 total casualties
The hunger strikes were a pivotal propaganda victory for the republican movement, generating worldwide sympathy, a surge of IRA recruitment, and — crucially — the birth of Sinn Féin as a serious electoral force, launching the 'Armalite and ballot box' strategy that would eventually lead to peace.
Life Journey
Timeline
March 9, 1954
🌅 Birth
Born in Newtownabbey, near Belfast
May 5, 1981
✝️ Death
Dies on hunger strike after 66 days