The Short and Long Term Effects of the Hunger-Strikes in Northern Ireland

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The Short and Long Term Effects of the Hunger-Strikes in Northern Ireland

The hunger-strikes of 1980 and 1981 had highly significant

consequences for Northern Ireland nationally and internationally.

While at first they polarised the community, they eventually led to

the beginnings of peace in Northern Ireland.

Soon after Direct Rule was introduced in Northern Ireland in March

1972 Westminster created a new department, the Northern Ireland

Office, which had responsibility for Irelandwhile "a cross-community

successor to the Stormont system was devised"[1]. William Whitelaw was

appointed its head, under the title of Northern Ireland Secretary.

Whitelaw aimed to "improve his relations with nationalists and

republicans"[2]. He began to make conciliatory moves in June 1972 by

releasing some internees and conceding to the demands of hunger

strikers by granting 'special category status' to prisoners associated

with paramilitary groups. McKittrick and McVea write that this

decision had "significant long term consequences"[3].

'Special category status' meant that republican and loyalist internees

served their time under the direction of their paramilitary OC rather

than warders. They were able to control their own compounds, wear

their own clothes, receive weekly visits, parcels and letters and were

not forced to do prison work. The prisoners were housed at Long Kesh

which "in many respects resembled a World War Two prisoner-of-war

camp" [4] . The IRA hoped that by achieving this the republican

prisoners would have effective political (and even prisoner-of-war)

status that would legitimize their stand. The IRA hoped 'special

category s...

... middle of paper ...

...ict - 1981. Compiled

by Martin Melaugh. (n.d.) Retrieved on 12/06/04 from the World Wide

Web http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch81.htm.

[21] Fraser, p 66

[22] McKittrick & McVea, p 144

[23] ibid, p 144

[24] ibid, p 145

[25] ibid, p 147

[26] ibid, p 148

[27] ibid, p 146

[28] ibid, p 139

[29] ibid, p 142

[30] ibid, p 141

[31] Kennedy-Pipe, p 100

[32] Fraser, p 66

[33] ibid, p 66

[34] Kennedy-Pipe, p 174

[35] McKittrick & McVea, p 158

[36] Kennedy-Pipe, p 108

[37] ibid, p 119

[38] ibid, p 156

[39] ibid, p 156

[40] ibid, p 157

[41] ibid, p 157

[42] ibid, p 160

[43] ibid, p 162

[44] Kennedy-Pipe, p 122

[45] Fraser, p 69

[46] Endgame in Ireland, (VOL 1)

[47] Kennedy-Pipe, p 174

[48] Fraser, p 66

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