Bobby Sands statue unveiled to mark anniversary of IRA hunger striker's death
Sands, a father-of-one, died on May 5 during the 1981 hunger strike, when he was aged 27.
Seven IRA prisoners and three from the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) died during the prison strike.
Their aim was to force then UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher's government to recognise them as political prisoners. Sands was the first to refuse food in March 1981 and the first to starve to death after 66 days.
Former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams was among those to attend the event to commemorate Sands.
Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan, the main speaker at the event, said: 'By their heroism and sacrifice, Bobby and the other hunger strikers ensured that the cause of Irish freedom was renewed, and now in 2025 we are closer than ever to undoing the justice of partition and reuniting our country.
'Their bravery set in motion a series of events that makes a momentum for political and social change unstoppable and irreversible.
'That momentum will carry us forward to the realisation of an Irish national democracy, a Republic where the rights and identity of all our people of whatever persuasion or background will be accommodated and cherished.
'Bobby didn't die just to prove he was right. He had a vision and a belief and an idea that his suffering and death would lead to a better world for the rest of us, and today, we are in a better place.
'We no longer need or expect our young men and women to risk their lives in liberty on active service or the hunger strike in prison cells. And that's not to say there isn't work to be done.
ADVERTISEMENT
'We need to redouble our efforts, and all of us put our shoulders to the wheel. Irish unity is not inevitable. We need to make it happen.
'Forty-four years after his death in the H-Blocks, Bobby Sands' name lives on.'
The Belfast MLA said that Sands should not be remembered as a hunger striker only.
'Like all of us, he was multifaceted,' he added.
'He was a loving father of an eight-year-old son, and also a loving son and brother. Bobby was a friend and comrade to many. He was a community activist, particularly here in Twinbrook between his two periods of imprisonment.
'He was a musician, a songwriter, a poet and a prolific writer. He was a Gaeilgeoir. Bobby was a blanket man, a political prisoner of war, a socialist, a leader, a revolutionary, a volunteer of Oglaigh na hEireann.
'Bobby Sands was a young man who resisted until his last breath. He was our hunger striker. He is our hero.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
9 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Hungary bans Kneecap from entering country ahead of festival performance
Hungarian authorities have banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at the Sziget Festival, accusing the band of using antisemitic hate speech and praising the Hamas militant group, a government spokesperson said on Thursday. Belfast-based Kneecap, who regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, have caused controversy elsewhere in recent months, including at Britain's Glastonbury Festival, where frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh - known by the name Mo Chara - accused Israel of committing war crimes. "Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification," government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote in a post on X. Kovacs later posted the official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years, claiming that their entry would "seriously threaten national security". In May, Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah. He denies the offence. Kneecap performing during the Glastonbury Festival. Representatives of Kneecap did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always". Hungary's government had already asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year. More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, have also signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's participation. Sziget organisers, who said they had not been notified of the government's decision, have resisted the calls to scrap Kneecap's planned performance on August 11. "Our festival remains true to what we have consistently achieved over the past 30 years: there is no place for hatred, incitement, prejudice, or any form of racism or anti-Semitism," they said in a statement last week. Sziget's other performers this year include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX. Reuters
Extra.ie
9 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Michael O'Leary slammed for 'insulting' metro comments
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has come under fire for his 'insulting' remarks about Dublin's MetroLink project which he believes is a 'waste' of taxpayer money. On Tuesday, the government announced that the project would get a €2billion boost in funding as part of the national development plan. The 18.8km rail line, most of which will be underground, is to run from north of Swords to Charlemont in the south of Dublin city centre. Michael O'Leary believes the MetroLink is a waste of money. Pic:Various metro projects have been proposed in recent decades with none proceeding to build stage, but Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said this boost in funding is 'a very definitive commitment to the metro'. Despite Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe stating that the latest estimated cost for the MetroLink was €11billion, the Ryanair chief believes it will cost about €20billion or 'about a billion a kilometre'. He told RTE Radio on Wednesday: 'Dublin Airport doesn't need it, Dublin Airport passengers won't use it – they're already well-served by buses.' Michael also claimed that less than a third of the airport's passengers use buses. He went to compare the amount of passengers the MetroLink would serve in Dublin, comparing it to the tube which runs from Heathrow and through 'all of London'. Michael believes that the Dublin metro would only serve around 100,000 people in the city. He continued: 'Here's the madness of this. This thing is going to start at Stephen's Green in the morning. If you want to get to our first wave of departures, which leave at about 6.30 in the morning, you need to be at the airport at 5.30am. 'Are you seriously going to drive into the centre of Stephen's Green, where there's no car parking, to get this metro to get to Dublin Airport for 5.30 in the morning? No, you're not. 'Let me give you the alternative scenario: for €100 million, this year we could buy 400 buses, and 400 buses would provide exactly the same capacity as this metro from Dublin Airport, in through Ballymun, in through Drumcondra, on bus lanes that already exist.' He then hit out at the government's handling of public finances, citing the '€330,000 bike shed', and criticised comments by Micheál Martin, who said the Irish capital will not be sustainable without a metro. The Ryanair boss added: 'Does he not understand that the buses actually will all be electrified by the end of this decade, which will actually be greener than light rail?' Labour Party TD Duncan Smith finds Michael O'Leary's comments 'insulting'. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos Labour TD Duncan Smith remarked that Michael O'Leary's criticisms of public infrastructure were bound to happen. He said: 'Dubliners are stuck in daily gridlock. MetroLink is their best chance at affordable, reliable transport that serves communities, not corporate profits. 'As a consistent advocate for MetroLink in Swords, I find it insulting to hear this kind of drive-by commentary from someone who clearly doesn't rely on public transport to get to work. 'Dublin deserves better than a transport plan from a billionaire whose only experience with buses is when he is pretending to be one.'
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Michael O'Leary criticised for ‘drive-by commentary' on Dublin metro
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has been criticised for his 'insulting' comments on a metro for Dublin, which he called a 'waste' of taxpayer money. The 18.8km rail line, most of which will be underground, is to run from north of Swords to Charlemont in the south of Dublin city centre. Various metro projects for the capital have been proposed in recent decades but none have proceeded to build stage. On Tuesday, the Government announced that the MetroLink project would get a €2bn boost in funding as part of the national development plan, in what Taoiseach Micheál Martin said was 'a very definitive commitment to the metro'. This Government wasted €330,000 on a bike shed, imagine what they do with an 18-kilometre underground train from an airport? While Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe indicated the latest estimated cost for the MetroLink was €11bn, Mr O'Leary claimed it would cost €20bn, 'so about a billion a kilometre'. 'Dublin Airport doesn't need it, Dublin Airport passengers won't use it – they're already well-served by buses,' he told RTÉ Radio on Wednesday, while claiming that less than a third of the airport's passengers use buses. He said that while the tube in London runs from Heathrow and through 'all of London', the Metro will only serve a section of Dublin city's residents – around 100,000 people, he claimed. 'Here's the madness of this. This thing is going to start at Stephen's Green in the morning. If you want to get to our first wave of departures, which leave at about 6.30 in the morning, you need to be at the airport at 5.30am. 'Are you seriously going to drive into the centre of Stephen's Green, where there's no car parking, to get this metro to get to Dublin Airport for 5.30 in the morning? No, you're not. 'Let me give you the alternative scenario: for €100m, this year we could buy 400 buses, and 400 buses would provide exactly the same capacity as this metro from Dublin Airport, in through Ballymun, in through Drumcondra, on bus lanes that already exist.' He claimed the plan had not been properly costed and hit out at the Government's handling of public finances. 'This Government wasted €330,000 on a bike shed, imagine what they do with an 18-kilometre underground train from an airport?' Micheal Martin announced two billion euro funding for the metro project (Phil Noble/PA) He also criticised comments by Mr Martin, who said the Irish capital will not be sustainable without a metro. 'Does he not understand that the buses actually will all be electrified by the end of this decade, which will actually be greener than light rail?' Labour TD Duncan Smith said Mr O'Leary's criticisms of public infrastructure were as sure 'as night follows day'. 'Dubliners are stuck in daily gridlock. MetroLink is their best chance at affordable, reliable transport that serves communities, not corporate profits. 'As a consistent advocate for MetroLink in Swords, I find it insulting to hear this kind of drive-by commentary from someone who clearly doesn't rely on public transport to get to work. 'Dublin deserves better than a transport plan from a billionaire whose only experience with buses is when he is pretending to be one.' When asked about his endorsement of Enterprise Minister Peter Burke and junior minister Robert Troy during the general election campaign, Mr O'Leary claimed 'they're not in government' and criticised Mr Martin again. 'I endorsed Peter Burke, who actually topped the poll despite the criticism. I also endorsed Robert Troy – and they're not the government.' Read More Ryanair chief cites lower costs after moving aircraft from Cork Airport to Shannon
