A Macradh- ISR Youth member outlines how the 1981 Hungerstrike remains a key inspiration for a new generation
The 1981 hunger strikers have left a massive legacy behind them and not only a massive legacy with their names being known all around the world but a powerful message which i think inspires young republicans such as myself 38 years on.
In my opinion this message is a simple one, this mesage is no matter what Britain throws at us no matter what is thrown at us we must persevere and through perseverance we will overcome. State harassment , imprisonment , torture , criminalisation. Even murder is not enough to break the spirit of the socialist republicans who continue to struggle for Irish freedom , as Bobby Sands once said “they have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit of an Irishman who doesn’t want to be broken”.
This message is of course inspiring to all republicans but i think it is especially inspiring to young republicans as the hunger strikers we’re all in their teens/twentys when they became involved in the republican movement and were all under the age of 30 with the exception of Joe McDonnell when they died.
The hunger strikers showed us the ultimate example of perseverance more so in my opinion than any other revolutionaries before them.
They saw their friends and family members die at the hands of the oppressor , they were locked in cells unfit even to keep a pig , they withstood attempts to demoralise their spirit and criminalise the cause of national liberation and socialism, they and hundreds of their comrades as prisoners of war refused to wear a criminals uniform and comply with prison rules, instead wearing nothing but a blanket.
As a form of protest at criminalisation they smeared their excrement and urine on the walls, enduring for years horrendous conditions and watched their comrades nearly die in the 1980 hunger strike.
Throughout all of this they persevered.
After enduring so much and without any more options they went on hunger strike once more enduring an almost unbearable pain and eventually death to maintain the fact that they were prisoners of war not criminals.
10 men died on hunger strike in 1981 over a period of nearly 7 month’s but eventually they overcame , it took courage, it took sacrifice, it took unimaginable physical and emotional pain and strenght , it took years of protests and months of starving for justice and it took the lives of ten brave men but they persevered and they won recognition in all but name for their comrades who survived them and boosted their comrades and generations desire to struggle for their ultimate cause national liberation and socialism.
Now that generations struggle and the hunger strikers struggle and their message has given young republicans a fresh desire to struggle for national liberation and socialism.
The hunger strikers have shown us how to withstand every british and Free State attempt to break us, they have given us the courage and desire to continue their struggle and we will continue to do so.
The hunger strikers deed may not have won national liberation and socialism but they continued the struggle for it in the only way the could , by given their lives so that we the current generation of young republicans could struggle for national liberation and socialism and hopefully achieve it.
The great revolutionary leader Padraig Pearse said “if your deed has not been sufficient to win freedom then our children will win it by a better deed” , this is still true to this day and we the republican youth will continue the struggle of Tone, of Emmett, of Connolly, of Mellows, of Costello and of Sands.
The hunger strikers did not die in vain and they continue to inspire us to persevere and struggle on and will continue to do so, until freedoms day.