Dixie Elliottakes a different view from Dieter Reinisch on the linkage between the Portlaoise and H-Block hunger strikes.  

Portlaoise Prison had nothing to do with the hunger strikes in the H Blocks.

In February 1979 the prison authorities moved most of the Blanket leadership to H6 in an attempt at breaking the protest. They believed that leaving the other three blocks, H3, H4 and H5 without a leadership would see the protest fall apart. Fortunately other men stepped in to take on leadership roles but this move by the authorities had made an impact.

I was not on the H Block leadership but I was moved to H6 along with my cell mate, until that time, Big Tom McElwee.

This wing in H6 included Bobby Sands, Brendan Hughes, Bik McFarlane, Larry Marley, Seanna Walsh and Big Tom.

I was put into a cell with Seanna Walsh who kept me updated on the thinking of those men who would meet at mass on Sundays to discuss how things were going and how best to move forward.

After this move the screws really went to work on the lads in the other three H Blocks in an attempt to break them, particularly the youngest prisoners who were in H3.

Men began to leave the protest as they just couldn't go on with the daily beatings and starvation and no one could blame them.

Around about March in 1979 someone left the protest and this had a huge impact on the morale of the men, as this person, now deceased, was up there with Bobby, the Dark, Larry etc. He had spent time with them in the cages and he was a character who everyone looked up to in awe.

At first the leadership tried saying he had left in order to bring men who were conforming back onto the protest but it soon became clear that this was not the case.

After this men began saying that if he could be broken then there's no hope for us and many began to leave.

Seanna told me the Dark had said if it continued like that we'd be left with about 100 men stuck in a corner of the H Blocks and forgotten about; that we needed to change tactics. Talk turned to moving into the confirming wings and wrecking the system from within.

The only thing which prevented this from happening was the fact that we would have to don the prison uniform and this just wasn't something to be considered.

Had we got to wear our own clothes at all times the Blanket protest would have ended and we would have begun a new battle to gain everything else.

In September that year, 1979, the prison authorities moved us back into the other three H Blocks again but surprisingly they moved most of the leadership into the one wing in H3. And I was in that wing, as was Big Tom. I remained in it until the protest ended in October 1981 after the hunger strike fell apart due to pressure from the hunger strikers' families.

It was during the time from September 1979 that the leadership of Bobby, Dark, Bik and Richard O'Rawe began to discuss an option they never wanted to look at - the hunger strike.

They had no other choice. It was that or conforming by wearing the prison uniform - as men were leaving at an alarming rate.

Our backs were against the wall and the nightmare of seeing brave men going on hunger strike had begun.

The first hunger strike fell apart and so Bobby embarked on a second one using different tactics. Instead of a group of men going on hunger strike together, thus risking it falling apart should a number come off it, he choose to stagger it out with him going first, thus ensuring his would be the first death.

Those were terrible times as we watched men leaving our wings who would never return again.

It had nothing to do with Portlaoise Prison.

Thomas Dixie Elliot is a Derry artist and a former H Block Blanketman.
Follow Dixie Elliot on Twitter @IsMise_Dixie

Hunger Strikes ➖ Portlaoise and The H-Blocks Not Linked

Dixie Elliottakes a different view from Dieter Reinisch on the linkage between the Portlaoise and H-Block hunger strikes.  

Portlaoise Prison had nothing to do with the hunger strikes in the H Blocks.

In February 1979 the prison authorities moved most of the Blanket leadership to H6 in an attempt at breaking the protest. They believed that leaving the other three blocks, H3, H4 and H5 without a leadership would see the protest fall apart. Fortunately other men stepped in to take on leadership roles but this move by the authorities had made an impact.

I was not on the H Block leadership but I was moved to H6 along with my cell mate, until that time, Big Tom McElwee.

This wing in H6 included Bobby Sands, Brendan Hughes, Bik McFarlane, Larry Marley, Seanna Walsh and Big Tom.

I was put into a cell with Seanna Walsh who kept me updated on the thinking of those men who would meet at mass on Sundays to discuss how things were going and how best to move forward.

After this move the screws really went to work on the lads in the other three H Blocks in an attempt to break them, particularly the youngest prisoners who were in H3.

Men began to leave the protest as they just couldn't go on with the daily beatings and starvation and no one could blame them.

Around about March in 1979 someone left the protest and this had a huge impact on the morale of the men, as this person, now deceased, was up there with Bobby, the Dark, Larry etc. He had spent time with them in the cages and he was a character who everyone looked up to in awe.

At first the leadership tried saying he had left in order to bring men who were conforming back onto the protest but it soon became clear that this was not the case.

After this men began saying that if he could be broken then there's no hope for us and many began to leave.

Seanna told me the Dark had said if it continued like that we'd be left with about 100 men stuck in a corner of the H Blocks and forgotten about; that we needed to change tactics. Talk turned to moving into the confirming wings and wrecking the system from within.

The only thing which prevented this from happening was the fact that we would have to don the prison uniform and this just wasn't something to be considered.

Had we got to wear our own clothes at all times the Blanket protest would have ended and we would have begun a new battle to gain everything else.

In September that year, 1979, the prison authorities moved us back into the other three H Blocks again but surprisingly they moved most of the leadership into the one wing in H3. And I was in that wing, as was Big Tom. I remained in it until the protest ended in October 1981 after the hunger strike fell apart due to pressure from the hunger strikers' families.

It was during the time from September 1979 that the leadership of Bobby, Dark, Bik and Richard O'Rawe began to discuss an option they never wanted to look at - the hunger strike.

They had no other choice. It was that or conforming by wearing the prison uniform - as men were leaving at an alarming rate.

Our backs were against the wall and the nightmare of seeing brave men going on hunger strike had begun.

The first hunger strike fell apart and so Bobby embarked on a second one using different tactics. Instead of a group of men going on hunger strike together, thus risking it falling apart should a number come off it, he choose to stagger it out with him going first, thus ensuring his would be the first death.

Those were terrible times as we watched men leaving our wings who would never return again.

It had nothing to do with Portlaoise Prison.

Thomas Dixie Elliot is a Derry artist and a former H Block Blanketman.
Follow Dixie Elliot on Twitter @IsMise_Dixie

5 comments:

  1. I think there is a stronger case to be made for this perspective than the one expressed by Dieter. I don't recall Portlaoise figuring in the thinking or discussion. The Crum in 72 would have been considered more relevant. The protest was over four years old before the first hunger strike started and was actually taking place while the 77 hunger strike in Portlaoise was under way. How it might have figured in the outside leadership's considerations is another matter, given that O'Conaill would have known the detail of Portlaoise. But from within the prison it seemed not to have a bearing.

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    Replies
    1. There's an immutable law of living which states that every perspective is limited.
      Even when consensus is reached it's still more likely than not, that some of the detail and much of the nuance will be lost.

      Dixie's account, as one who was close to the decision makers within the Blocks, is a valuable contribution but like Dieter's is unlikely to be the whole story either.
      Like most historical appraisals or any competing recollection, its most likely not going to be possible to ever fully untangle events and arrive at a complete and unbiased factual narrative. So, in that regard we're unlikely to get certainty about who influenced whom and what led to the fateful events of the ‘81 hunger strike.
      Perspective is as much shaped by where we are viewing events from as it is by anything else. Obviously, this was/is at play here too.
      What we do know though is, that Northern Command had been well established by the time the H Block hunger strikes commenced. In all likelihood they were probably the main influencers, if not the de facto decision makers, on whichever direction the prison struggle in the North would be allowed to go.

      I was reasonably close with Pat Ward during the late 70's after his hunger-strike. I often visited his home during that period and I do know that Joe Cahill was also a regular visitor too. Together they were predominantly working on an anti-interrogation programme. They try to address the wholesale disclosures which were being extracted from volunteers during interrogations at the time.
      Unfortunately, to what degree Pat's experiences contributed to, or influenced overall prison campaigns’ direction alas I have no idea.

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    2. Perceptual Error ... I have no idea what predominated Pat and Joe's deliberations at that particular point in time
      The only aspect of those conversations which I was a party to where those about anti-interrogation techniques.
      That topic may have been very much secondary to other items on the agenda ... and of which my participation wasn't invited!

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  2. Both articles were very informative .

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  3. I would agree with Dixie Elliot's perspective on this. While Henry Joy is correct that perspectives vary when it comes to analysing and historical event or period. What Dixie has to say chimes with almost every account of the h block protests and hunger strikes.
    Ultimately what happened in the H BLocks have their roots in the British government's Ulsterisation and normalisation policy which of course included removing politcal status from republican prisoners in 1976. Anthony is correct in referencing the Billy McKee led hunger strike of 1972 as having a bearing as that was the strike which had secured politcal status for republican prisoners in the six counties in that period. The events in Portlaoise would have had negligible if indeed any influence on the deliberations of the H Block prisoners. Another serious flaw in that piece is the assertion that republicans had enjoyed unbroken politcal status in the 26 counties since 1916. Apart from being historically muddled in terms of the existence of the 26-County state, this assertion ignores prison struggle waged by republican prisoners against the Dublin government in the 1940s. This resulted in the deaths of three republicans on hunger strike. In fact it could be argued the first blanket man was Tomás Og MacCurtain in Portlaoise prison in 1939. He led the protest there until 1946 and the death there of Sean McCaughey on hunger and thirst strike. The history of prison protest in Ireland is complex. The H Blocks have a very definite trajectory from March 1, 1976 which very clearly took on a life of their own

    ReplyDelete