1981 Irish hunger strike

Hunger strike memorial in Derry. The shape of the monument represents the H Block of the Maze Prison in Belfast

The 1981 Irish Hunger Strike was a hunger protest in Northern Ireland by Irish republican prisoners during the Troubles. During the protest, seven prisoners from the Provisional Irish Republican Army and three from the Irish National Liberation Army starved themselves to death in the hunger strike. The first to die, Bobby Sands, was elected as a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom during his hunger strike.

Deaths

By the end of the protest 10 prisoners had died. Their names, paramilitary affiliation, dates of death, and length of hunger strike are as follows:

Name	Paramilitary organisation	Strike started	Date of death	Length of strike	Reason for imprisonment
Bobby Sands	IRA	5 March	5 May	66 days	Possession of a handgun
Francis Hughes	IRA	15 March	12 May	59 days	Various offences, including the murder of a soldier
Raymond McCreesh	IRA	22 March	21 May	61 days	Attempted murder, possession of a rifle, IRA membership
Patsy O’Hara	INLA	22 March	21 May	61 days	Possession of a hand grenade
Joe McDonnell	IRA	8 May	8 July	61 days	Possession of a firearm
Martin Hurson	IRA	28 May	13 July	46 days	Attempted murder, involvement in explosions, IRA membership
Kevin Lynch	INLA	23 May	1 August	71 days	Stealing shotguns, taking part in a punishment shooting
Kieran Doherty	IRA	22 May	2 August	73 days	Possession of firearms and explosives, hijacking
Thomas McElwee	IRA	8 June	8 August	62 days	Manslaughter
Michael Devine	INLA	22 June	20 August	60 days	Theft and possession of firearms