[42], Cardinal Basil Hume, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, condemned Sands, describing the hunger strike as a form of violence. However, while there is a great deal of information in the film about Sinn Fein, the IRA, and the political situation in . Merchant Cash Advance He was brought to court and after being found guilty, he was sent to prison for five years, where he enjoyed political status in Long Kesh. But he was also depressed and he told me he wanted out of the IRA, he said. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Robert Gerard Sands ( Irish: Roiberd Gearid Seachnasaigh; 9 March 1954 - 5 May 1981) was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army who died on hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze. Bobby Sands, circled in front row, in the Star of the Sea soccer side, in front of Raymond McCord. But we have been told that as the Troubles progressed and division intensified, some of Sands teenage Protestant friends increasingly developed anti-Catholic views. She is famous for Bobby Sands widow. None of the children were allowed to "leave the house without first saying our prayers blessing ourselves with holy water". Robert Gerard "Bobby" Sands was born in Belfast, Ireland on March 9, 1954. Shortly before Sands's death, The Washington Post reported that the primary aim of the hunger strike was to generate international publicity.[31]. But he added: The only time I saw him down was when I visited him in jail after the first time he was sentenced. Bernadette Sands-McKevitt claimed that republicans ignored her. Bobby Sands granddaughter Erin Sands brought her local pub to a standstill when she offered a stunning rendition of the popular Irish ballad Grace recently. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! The premiere was hosted with File An Phobail and West Belfast Film Festival. The republican prisoners had wrecked the wing a part of our protest. [25] Sands wrote about the brutality of Maze prison guards: "The screws [prison guards] removed me from my cell naked and I was conveyed to the punishment block in a blacked out van. Picture Mal McCann, A girl carries the writings of Bobby Sands at the funeral of his mother Rosaleen Sands. In one of the most infamous incidents of The Troubles, Constable John Proctor was murdered by the IRA at a County Londonderry hospital in 1981 after visiting his newborn son while tensions were heightened throughout the country by the political situation. Erin Sands brought her local pub in Co Down to a standstill with her rendition of the popular Irish ballad. This field is required Dances and clothes, girls and a few shillings to spend, opened up a whole new world to me., A young Bobby Sands, from bobbysandstrust.com. (POLL)", "Anger as new film of IRA hero Bobby Sands screens at Cannes", Bobby Sands diary entries & biographies of the ten hunger strikers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bobby_Sands&oldid=1133172604. Sands also threw himself into the struggle for political status for IRA prisoners, which had been halted when Long Kesh was replaced by the Maze Prison. Email us at [email protected]! June McMullin, the widow of Constable John Proctor, A scene from the Bobby Sands documentary 66 Days. [81] Noade soon left to live in England with their son. Saying she faced a choice "that no mother could contemplate" Mrs Sands-McKevitt said she left "his life in God's hands and placed her trust in others to bury her son. Brendan Byrne, Olivia Byrne, Sharon Darby and Greg Darby are pictured at the film premiere of Bobby Sands: 66 Days at the Omniplex Cinema at the Kennedy Centre in west Belfast. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye, Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland - 31st July 2016 He was held at gunpoint and told that Alexander's was off-limits to "Fenian scum" and to never come back if he valued his life. By 1973, almost every Catholic . The premiere was hosted with File An Phobail and West Belfast Film Festival. International media coverage brought attention to the hunger strikers, and the republican movement in general, attracting both praise and criticism. Sands, who supported Aston Villa, played for the religiously mixed Stella Maris and Star of the Sea clubs. Sands, 27, died in the early hours of May 5 1981 after 66 days on hunger strike. Mrs Sands, the mother of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, died last week aged 95, surrounded by her family. Bobby Sands died on May 5, 1981 at the age of 27. Exactly 40 years after Sands death, we have spoken to some of his closest friends and learned what turned the soccer-mad boy into a committed paramilitary who would spend almost all his adult life in prison before dying there on May 5 1981 at the age of 27. Home; CONSULTING; Lead Generation Menu Toggle. Launch of the Hunger Strike 30th Anniversary Exhibition in the Linen Hall Library, Belfast. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye, Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland - 31st July 2016 Commons, "Sands' hunger strike and the fate of Ulster". When we stepped outside at around 4pm, we could see a large crowd of Protestant teenagers had arrived from Rathcoole and Mount Vernon. But he had been badly scarred by the sectarian strife and abuse his family had suffered at the hands of some loyalist neighbours many of whom had been his friends in Rathcoole. The couple would go on to marry and raise four children. We were all naked and we broke everything we could get our hands on. The song Grace was written in 1985 by Frank and Sen O'Meara having been inspired by Grace Gifford, the widow to 1916 Easter Rising leader Joseph Plunkett, who married Grace only hours before his execution at Dublins Kilmainham Gaol. It also caused the Sands family to move home once more, this time to a house on Summerhill Road in the middle of the then still religiously mixed Twinbrook estate, near Dunmurry. Hunger striker Bobby Sands' coffin, flanked by an IRA colour party, leaving his mother's home in Twinbrook. [19][20], Upon his release, he returned to his family home in West Belfast, and resumed his active role in the Provisional IRA. 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He was the leader of the 1981 hunger strike in which Irish republican prisoners protested against the removal of Special Category Status. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. A young boy carrys a picture of Bobby Sands at the funeral of Rosaleen Sands the mother of Bobby Sands at St Oliver Plunkett's Church, Blackrock Co Louth Picture Mal McCann. At any point the UK government could have relented in the face of unprecedented pressure from the Irish people and international calls for a humane settlement. Sands, who was elected MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in a by-election during his hunger strike, became the public face of the republican prison protests. The premiere was hosted with File An Phobail and West Belfast Film Festival. Despite always having had Protestant friends, Sands suddenly found that none of them would even speak to him, and he quickly learned to associate only with Catholics.[14]. [15] He was eventually confronted after leaving his shift in January 1971 by a number of his coworkers wearing the armbands of the local Ulster loyalist tartan gang. Twitter. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye, Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland - 31st July 2016 The premiere was hosted with File An Phobail and West Belfast Film Festival. A man who witnessed these events as a teenager told us this week: There was a training scheme based at Feldon House, Mill Road, Bawnmore. But gradually the cold began to get to us. [43], At Old Firm football matches in Glasgow, Scotland, some Rangers fans have been known to sing songs mocking Sands to taunt fans of Celtic. Bobby Sands Robert Gerard Sands ( Irish: Roiberd Gearid Seachnasaigh; [2] 9 March 1954 - 5 May 1981) was a member (and leader in the Maze prison) [3] of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died on hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze in Northern Ireland. [41], In response to a question in the House of Commons on 5 May 1981, the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher said, "Mr Sands was a convicted criminal. [45] The 1981 British Home Championship football tournament was cancelled following the refusal of teams from England and Wales to travel to Northern Ireland in the aftermath of his death, due to security concerns. In 1976, Sands was arrested after a botched bomb attack on a furniture store in Dunmurry, near his new family home on the Twinbrook estate. By - June 5, 2022. It was a choice that his organisation did not allow to many of its victims". 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