A COLLECTION of articles, essays and poems reflecting on the impact of the republican hunger strikes is to be republished with new contributors.
They include Frances Black, Owen Carron, and George Stagg, whose brother died in Wakefield Prison in 1976 after fasting for 62 days.
First published in 2006 to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1981 Long Kesh hunger strikes, the book is edited by Belfast writer and former Sinn Féin director of publicity Danny Morrison.
The original publication, compiled by the Bobby Sands Trust, included pieces by Edna O'Brien, Tony Benn, Nell McCaffrey, Christy Moore and David Beresford, author of Ten Men Dead, wildly regarded as the definitive account of the IRA/INLA hunger strike. All are included in the new edition, alongside fresh contributions from Fermanagh-South Tyrone MP Michelle Gildernew, former Dublin lord mayor Micheal Mac Donncha and filmmaker Trisha Ziff.
Among the highlights is a compelling piece by George Stagg, which tells of the extensive lengths the Dublin government of the time went to in the aftermath of his brother's death to avoid the kind of displays of public support that had been witnessed less than two years earlier when fellow IRA prisoner and Mayo man Michael Gaughan died on hunger strike in London's Parkhurst Prison.
The remaining members of the Stagg family were split for many years as a result of the controversial manner under which their son and brother's remains were repatriated and subsequently interred.
The revised book also includes a contribution from Derry man Colm Scullion, who while sharing a cell with Bobby Sands recounted the story of Rodaí Mac Corlaí (Roddy McCorley), the United Irishman hanged on the bridge at Toome, prompting his cellmate to write a lengthy poem which was later published in his Prison Poems collection.
According to editor Danny Morrison, the public's appetite for information and testimonies about this important period of republican history remains strong nearly four decades later.
"The historical significance of the hunger strikes is evident in the fact that interest has only increased with the passing of time – over the years there have been countless books, songs and films based on what was an incredible time," he told The Irish News.
"For me and my generation of republicans, this was our 1916 – it led to the shift in the republican movement's strategy towards electoral politics and while that would have otherwise been met with resistance in many quarters, Bobby Sands election as an MP helped convince many of the sceptics. In many ways it led us to where we are today."
Mr Morrison also welcomes the prominence given in the book to Frank Stagg and Michael Gaughan.
"For two long their deaths and sacrifice has been overshadowed by the impact and magnitude of the events of 1981," he said.
:: Hunger Strike Reflections is published by Elsinor and will be is launched at 1pm on Thursday August 8 at St Mary's University College, Belfast with guest speaker George Stagg.
