Blanketmen

'I was told in 1991 that I could be shot for opening my mouth. But I am convinced that the truth should be told and that I have a duty to the dead hunger strikers to explain fully the events that led to their deaths.'

Richard O’Rawe was an IRA prisoner in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh Prison. One of the original ‘Blanketmen’, he took part in the infamous dirty protests that led, tragically, to the doomed hunger strikes of the early 1980s.

Now for the first time, Richard O’Rawe reveals the true facts behind the H-Block hunger strikes. Why did the strikes go on so long? Who headed the secret negotiations with the UK government?  What was Gerry Adams’ role?

Passionate, disturbing, and controversial, Blanketmen is a startling landmark in the cruel history of Northern Ireland.

Praise for Blanketmen:

'This inside account of the 1981 hunger strikes … is without doubt the most significant' Ed Maloney, author of A Secret History of the IRA