The end of the 1981 Hunger Strikes in the H-Blocks will be commemorated by Galway Sinn Féin next week.
Mickey Devine, was the last of the 10 hunger strikers to die, on August 20 1981. His death, and that of the other hunger strikers, including Bobby Sands MP, will take place on Saturday August 21 at 2pm at the Liam Mellows statue in Eyre Square.
50th anniversary of internment
This year is also the 50th anniversary of the introduction of internment without trial in the North, and this will also be remembered. During the operation of internment (1971 - 1975 ), a total of 1,981 people were interned. Of these 1,874 were from a nationalist background. Only 157 were Provisional IRA members. Only 107 people from a unionist background were interned.
Galway Sinn Féin is also planning to launch its Time for Unity campaign. “Irish Unity is for everybody,” a spokesperson for the party said, “not just one political party, and Sinn Féin encourages the public and groups to actively engage on this.”
