Bobby Sands

Considering Freedom & Justice

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Early Life Bobby Sands was born on March 9th, 1954. He was the

eldest of four children in an Irish Roman-Catholic family

Bobby grew up in a largely Protestant area of Northern Ireland. His family struggled there due to religious and political tensions.

In 1972, Bobby married Geraldine Noade. There son, Gerald, was born on May 8th, 1973.

Irish Republican Army In 1972, Bobby joined the Provisional Irish Republican Army,

more commonly known as the IRA.

The Provisional Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican militia organization whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by military, social, and political means.

Éire Nua By 1975, The Provisionals' goal was the abolition of both the

Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland states and their replacement with a new all-Ireland federal republic, with decentralised governments and parliaments for each of the four Irish historic provinces. This programme was known as Éire Nua or New Ireland.

Ireland v. Éire Nua

“The Troubles” At this time, Ireland was in the midst of a nearly twenty-five

year long conflict known as “The Troubles”.

“The Troubles” were largely built around issues between loyalists and nationalists, and Catholics and Protestants.

Back to Bobby Sands was arrested and charged in October 1972 with

possession of four handguns which were found in the house where he was staying. Sands was convicted in April 1973 sentenced to five years' imprisonment and released in April 1976.

In October 1976, Sands was alleged to have been involved in the bombing of a furniture store. Although he was not found guilty, he was found guilty of being involved in a gun battle with police shortly after the trial.

Long Kesh Sands was sentenced to fourteen years in a prison known as

Long Kesh.

Immediately after his arrival at Long Kesh, Sands was implicated in a riot and spent the first twenty-two days of his sentence in solitary confinement. Fifteen of the days he was naked, and Sands was given a “starvation diet” one day out of every three.

Long Kesh In prison, Sands became a writer both of journalism and

poetry. His work was published in an Irish republican newspaper.

In late 1980, Sands was chosen as Officer Commanding of the Provisional IRA prisoners in Long Kesh.

Member of Parliament In 1981, an Irish MP named Frank Maguire died of a heart

attack. Maguire’s riding had a strong nationalist citizenry.

Sands was nominated for the seat, and in order to help him win, no other nationalist candidates ran Sands won the seat on April 9th, 1981. He was the youngest MP in Irish history.

Following Sands' win, the British Government introduced the Representation of the People Act 1981 which prevents prisoners serving jail terms of more than one year in either the UK or the Republic of Ireland from being nominated as candidates in British elections.

Hunger Strike The Hunger Strike started when Sands refused food on March

1st, 1981. Sands decided that other prisoners should join the strike at staggered intervals in order to maximize publicity and impact

The hunger strike centred around five demands:

The right not to wear a prison uniform; The right not to do prison work; The right of free association with other prisoners The right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week; No additional prison time as a result of the protest

Sands’ Death Sands died in the prison hospital after sixty-six days of

hunger striking. He was twenty-seven years old.

The announcement of his death prompted several days of riots in nationalist areas of Northern Ireland.

Over 100,000 people lined the route of Sands' funeral and he was buried in the 'New Republican Plot' alongside 76 others.

Sands was a Member of the Westminster Parliament for 25 days, though he never took his seat or the oath.

Thatcher’s Response In response to a question in the British House of Commons

May 5th, 1981, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, "Mr. Sands was a convicted criminal. He chose to take his own life. It was a choice that his organisation did not allow to many of its victims”.

The official announcement of Sands' death in the House of Commons omitted the customary expression of sense of loss and sympathy with the family of the member.