AMONG those who attended the Easter Sunday commemoration in Belfast two weeks ago was John Montgomery. I haven’t seen John in many years and it was a delight to meet him again. John is originally from St James’ in West Belfast.
» Mícheál Mac Donncha
Martin McGuinness once said that the deaths of the ten hunger strikers in 1981 was “our 1916”. The impact of the hunger strike was so profound that he was comparing it to the epoch-making events of the 1916 Rising and the executions of the 16 leaders.
The connection was made directly by Bobby Sands himself when he wrote during his hunger strike:
“I may die but the Republic of 1916 will never die. Onward to that Republic and the liberation of our people.”
The 16 executed leaders and the men and women who fought shoulder to shoulder with them died for a free and undivided Ireland. A key factor in their decision to plan and carry out an insurrection was the degeneration of ‘constitutional nationalist’ leaders to the point where they were prepared to countenance a partitioned Ireland, subservient to the British Empire. For this, and for the promise of Home Rule, they induced tens of thousands of young Irishmen to die fighting for the Empire.
What Bobby Sands means to me: The hunger strikers chose to die Daddy didn t irishtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from irishtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.