Afterlives: The Hunger Strike and the Secret Offer That Changed Irish History

by Richard O'Rawe

By July 1981 four republican hunger strikers had already died in Long Kesh Prison. A fifth, Joe McDonnell, was clinging to life. To outsiders, Margaret Thatcher appeared unbending; yet, far from the prying eyes of the press, her government was making a substantial offer to the prisoners. On 5 July this offer was given to Gerry Adams in Belfast, and relayed to the prison leadership. In this important sequel to the bestseller Blanketmen, O’Rawe documents the four-year war of words that followed. He interviews former members of the IRA Army Council who claim that a five-man committee led by Adams had control of the hunger strike, keeping the Army Council in the dark about the British governments offer. He uses contemporary records to show that Thatcher had approved the offer but that Gerry Adams and the committee had replied it was ‘not enough’, telling the hunger strikers that ‘nothing was on the table’. The prison leadership accepted the British offer, but six hunger strikers went on to die. O’Rawe asks: why? This hidden history, using contemporaneous photographs, pinpoints the key players in the drama and their responses, identifying Mountain Climber, a Derry businessman who brokered the deal, and describing the contributors to the crucial hunger strike conferences of 2008-09. O’Rawe combines a moving and courageous personal record with first-hand documentation. He provides essential background and astringent commentary on the realpolitick of the peace process and republicanism in Northern Ireland today, and its impact upon the country as a whole.

Genres: Nonfiction, Ireland, Politics, History

227 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2010

About the author

Richard O'Rawe was born in Belfast. His first book, Blanketmen, published in 2005, was a political book about the 1981 IRA/INLA hunger strike and was an Irish best-seller. His second book, Afterlives, was published in 2010. His third book, In the Name of the Son, a biography of his life-long friend, Gerry Conlon (of the Guildford Four), was published in 2017. The first two novels of his 'Ructions O'Hare' series, Northern Heist and Goering's Gold, were published in 2018 and 2022 respectively. He is currently working on his third novel of this series. His sixth book, Stakeknife's Dirty War, another bestseller, was published in 2023.

This current book Witch Hunt is the first collaboration with his daughter, Bernadette.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Danny Gill]

Yes this follow up book to Blanketmen is an absorbing read going into the political scene in more detail and the question must be asked could the Hunger strike of 1981 have been stopped before Joe McDonnell died, yes is my answer. Readers may reach another decision of course that is up to them as everyone has their own view, my view is that with Provisional Sinn Fein making leaps and bounds in the political arena they didn't want their surge in the polls to be stemmed with the massive show of support that the Hunger strikers had created round the world.

[Blamelouis]

Read in one sitting , a fascinating inside look at claims that the hunger strike was prolonged to aid sinn feins electoral birth in the north without the knowledge of the army council or the hunger strikers.

[Mick Maye]

hard story harder telling

I can understand the objections of someone telling their story and not being believed. Richard O’Rawe gives a clear and convincing answer to his critics of the events of the second hunger strike. This is a very difficult topic with conflicting emotions which requires you to give an answer to the question raised.