Bobby Sands | |
|---|---|
| Roibeárd Ó Seachnasaigh | |
 Sands in Long Kesh, 1973 (aged 18–19) | |
| Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone | |
| In office 9 April 1981[1] – 5 May 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Maguire |
| Succeeded by | Owen Carron |
| Majority | 1,447 (2.4%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Gerard Sands 9 March 1954 Dunmurry, County Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 5 May 1981 (aged 27) HM Prison Maze, County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Cause of death | Hunger strike |
| Political party | Anti H-Block |
| Spouse |
Geraldine Noade (m. 1973) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Bernadette Sands McKevitt (sister) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Provisional Irish Republican Army |
| Years of service | 1972–1981 |
| Unit | First Battalion South West Belfast, Belfast Brigade |
| Battles/wars | The Troubles |
Robert Gerard Sands (Irish: Roibeárd Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh;[2] 9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981) was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died on hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze in Northern Ireland. Sands helped to plan the 1976 Balmoral Furniture Company bombing in Dunmurry, which was followed by a gun battle with the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Sands was arrested while trying to escape and sentenced to 14 years for firearms possession.
He was the leader of the 1981 hunger strike in which Irish republican prisoners protested against the removal of Special Category Status. During Sands' strike, he was elected to the UK Parliament as an Anti H-Block candidate.[3][4] His death and those of nine other hunger strikers was followed by a surge of IRA recruitment and activity. International media coverage brought attention to the hunger strikers, and the republican movement in general, attracting both praise and criticism.[5]
- ^ "1981: Hunger striker elected MP". BBC On This Day – 10 April. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ "Legacy of Cage Eleven". Nuzhound.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ "Hunger Strike 1980–82". BBC News. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ "CAIN: Politics: Elections: Westminster By-election (NI) Thursday 9 April 1981". CAIN/Ulster University. 9 April 1981. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ Beresford 1987, pp. 131–132.