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died or domain. Welcome to stop. You should now a production of iheart radio work under the podcast on Josh clark, there's charles w chuck brian over there- and this is done. You should know just the two of us doing together were hanging out we're going to get to the bottom of stuff. That's right, You know the grab stir, helped us out with this one a little while ago, and it also feels now like. I was purposefully sitting on it because of the the turn out of the recent elections across the pond there. Okay, I am not familiar with what happened. Well, the Sinn Fein is now this is the largest party and

twenty two in the northern ireland assembly elections, and this means that, like this is probably the best chance they've had in a long time, for reuniting ireland, oh wow, that be something while you really did save it for just the right right moment. Chuck yells! couple weeks ago- and I read a bunch- calls on it and on the likelihood in it seems, seems like a hard road still, but They definitely, but is it it's something they're interested in an egg yet party that is their holes are very split via I'm interested to see how it turns out, but that is pretty interesting there there. Finally, in a position to do that, because it means they ve come very long way in the last. What fifty or so years yeah for those of you who are familiar. Shin fain is considered the political wing of the irish republican army,

and the reason we're talking about either. One of those is because we're talking about hunger strikes, specifically a set of hunger strikes that took place at the beginning, twentyth century and then toward the end of the twentieth century, and they are very much associated with the ira in fact a view ass, most people who are familiar with hunger strikes. They were probably bring up the ira, it's like that closely associated with them yet You know we should say we're You do your best to get this right, but this is one of those that is, you know It's so fraught with emotion on both sides So we just want to tell all of our friends in northern ireland and our friends in the irish republic that we were doing our best here. Yes to a man. against trying to understand very deeply long rooted oftentimes hostile situation. Yet

For those of you, like morrissey with irish blood, but english heart, we will hopefully not take you off either we're doing our best here. Just a couple, of yankee american jos doing what we can do, and we had a great time by the way in dublin and are only regret, was not being able to go and do a life show in northern ireland we have squeeze it in, but we'd love to check it out. One day agreed, so you said it's like this is a very emotionally fraught subject, and that is a gross understatement really cause, and what we're going to focus on are called the troubles which started at the end of the sixties and beginning of the seventy but I'm really goes back even further than that, and you can kind of place the beginning of hostility. in sixteen o nine, when the protestant english came in to catholic ireland and said: hey we're going to take some of this land and we're going to take.

some of your land rights, her away from those of you with documented land rights and we're going to set up some english enclaves and were just going to basically show up in an sit here for a while and then set very well with. The ethnic irish, your gaelic people who lived in the area, so that was one part of it and I also hit on another part to check that we ve got protestant and catholic, basically verses each other. Now yeah and you know it, but I think it makes a good point that it it's not strictly about religion when you're over there and you're talking catholic and protestant, it's so intertwined in the fabric of kind of. the thing that goes on, including the politics that it's really there's no way you can separate it, but it wasn't it, the Lee an irish array of why, I guess irish catholic english, scottish protestant battle, russia, but it is the seeds- are there

so in particular in the north of ireland around all stir a bunch of protestant, english and scottish people. Settled there over the years. and formed woods. Basically, or what was known as the plantation of Ulster and so over time. You ve got this largely gaelic population inhabiting the central and south part of ireland and then a mixed catholic, gaelic and english and scottish protestant kind of group existing for better or for worse in the northern part of the country and its remarkable that it lasted like this, for you know several centuries before it finally came to a head at the beginning of the twenty century yeah and as far as you know, how people in northern ireland that were that were kind of nino mixed in together felt

things then and how they feel about things. Now you know I'd make some kind of sweeping statements that it's just kind of hard to do, especially when you look it like modern day, poles and reunification and stuff like that. Those seeds run deep and people are, what kind of divided on it, so you can't necessarily just say that you know these days the people of northern ireland when her said favour private It is unclear and want to be If the? U k it's it's a mixed bag right yeah, I would guess it'd be akin to do you know people wanting to their state to secede or the united states to break into five different countries, or something like that, although probably with much much more emotional opinions about that yeah and then- religion in their exactly just that little light thing so like guess it this this kind of precarious living situations. Living arrangement came to a head all away in nineteen twelve.

when the irish nationalists movement began, think they started before that, but in nineteen twelve they sort of really pushing for home rule which irish governing ireland. It's pretty much as simple as that in that created the home rule crisis and it was a crisis. As far as the british were concerned, all of a sudden there irish people were were saying, hey. We, we basically want you out, and we want to rule ireland. So let's just end this for centuries of occupation, shall we The way you put it there just sounds very nice, I'm sure that's how they put it: This was sort of put off a bit by world war, one obviously that kind of disrupted. lot of things, but eventually and nineteen. Sixteen the nationalists did revolt and scobie, still rising of nineteen sixteen and this,

a bloody affair. It was, I mean I think there were more than a dozen leaders executed, many thousands of people in prison. It was just a brutal conflict and that was just you know- that kind of kick things, often nineteen, sixteen it continued again and nineteen nineteen with what we know now, as the law, I guess was called this than to the anglo irish war and there were a lot of sort of governmental. He's going on during this time the government of ireland act of nineteen twenty. Officially as far as they were concerned, created to our in northern ireland and what they called southern ireland. There were all still under the rule of the uk in great britain, but southern island was like no we're not southern ireland, where the irish republic- I don't even call a southern ireland, yeah, I'm so there. chile kind of got translated into a treaty there,

did the anglo irish war. It was a nineteen twenty one treaty that basically wreck Nice, ireland, is to separate nations. You got ireland itself, which is again. The central and southern part of the country, and then you I have northern ireland, which is part of the united kingdom. It's a totally different country, at least a geo. Politically speaking, it's a totally different country and again there is a big disk. Jim between ireland and northern ireland in the population make up because those protestant catholic in scottish people that settled in the northern part of ireland. Over the centuries had descendants in those descendants stayed loyal to the crown they stayed protestant and at times they they were more powerful than their catholic knee so in the late sixties by the family sixties role around and you ve got to ireland's. You have a protestant,

it small minority of protestant ruling northern ireland much to the chagrin of the catholic and gaelic people who live there and that kind of set up there set the stage. I guess for the troubles that followed yeah and the troubles and they said began in the late sixties, a carried through about ninety eight more than I mean that the numbers kind of vary depending on you know what you're looking at, but at least thirty five a hunt. People died, fifty percent of which were civilian and these were You know it was a mess. There were paramilitary groups on both sides. There were a british military taking part. There were street battle there were bombings. I mean this is the kind of stuff that, in the like when you- and I were growing up in the seventies and eighties, It was all over the news at the time and it was

I had no idea, I didn't understand it at all at me and it took. You know me listening a lot of you to the theme here and there its right to educate myself over what was going on over the years, but I don't think I fully really understood it until like the past few days when it but again absolutely same here men. So one of the things that kicked off those troubles you just described was the gaelic calf. makes protesting that the unfair rule as they saw of the poor. Step minority and the problem is these protests were kind of suppressed brutally by the protestant government and with the aid of the british military british please I believe- and that's that turned quickly into rioting and then eventually, like you, said the paramilitary groups, stumbling and base guerrilla warfare breaking out in northern ireland. So imagine like

and I'm going to work one day and your catholic in your coworkers protestant and the next day you guys are fighting each other on the street for control of of Europe, both your country, yet it's it's not to think about it. As an american cars like we can't fathom something like that. You know too generalizers hearing In the end, the cold war reagan era: Ramey were be far removed from the civil war here in the united states. This is like civil war that took place in it. early seventies are started an early seventys in continued for almost thirty years. Yet in You be, as you know, we should be back up a little bit. I guess and talk about the origin so. The irae this had to do with easter, rising that we talked about of nineteen. Sixteen it was initiated by the what was called the irish volunteers in nineteen sixty by the twenties. They were known as the ira, the irish republican army and if not a civil war in the early nineteenth twenties.

One thousand nine hundred and twenty two and one thousand nine hundred and twenty three. There were a lot of different nationalist factions fighting one another. One of these was the ira and was civil war going on back then as well. So there's just been decades and decades of unrest by the time the nineteen sixties roll around damn that nineteen twenty civil war was in ireland itself. So after it became a sovereign nation, all those groups that had fought the british started fighting each other to figure out who is gonna, run the show from then on. That's right, Oh the ira, that you and I think about you know we learned about from you to and in the news in the eighties and all that they're, the ones that you call provisional ira and they formed out of the beginning of the troubles, those protests and riots being

contains sixty nine. They were one of the paramilitary groups that developed and they became pretty famous in no small part because of the hunger strikes that they ended up carrying out. Do you take a break? I think so. I think we reach breakin us and the nurse the other, was nervous during that setup. Who are you he thought I was just going to keep going and going? No, no, not that I was just like man. This stuff is so you know there's there lines, and I just want to speak. I dont think we did, but now that I just said that, of course, we did very well put together some will be right back to talk about the history of hunger strikes a little bit rhetoric That's what you want!

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hey. That's the sound of another sail on shop, a five all in one commerce platform to start run and grow your businesses and chuck. That's right chap. If I gives onto pinafores the resources once reserved for big business, so upstart start ups and establish businesses alike can sell everywhere, synchronize online and in person, sales and effortlessly stay informed scaling. Your business is a journey of endless possibility. We can reach customers online and across social networks, with an ever growing suite of channel integrations an apt, including facebook, instagram tik, tok pinterest them more. You consider nicer online and impersonal sales to you gain insights as you grow, with detailed reporting of conversion rates, profit margins and beyond its more than a store shop. If I grows with you said just go to shop, if I dotcom slash stuff all lower case for a free fourteen day trial and get full access to shop of eyes, entire suite of features grow. Your business was shot

If I today go to shop, if I dotcom slash stuff right now, he said: are you video calling me from home, then again, saving money? That's my jam! What we think outdoor dining said, or wicker lounge sat since your signature dish is a margarita go with lounge, okay, I m so ready, this party, it's been too long. Wait go back shut me, those pretty ceramic plates their melamine. Even you can't break them. Look these q cushions matching that my shirt outfit, your outdoors, have it day at home sense stand out pieces out stan. in prices, ok, checks So why would anybody engage in one hundred hunger strike and why would they be most mostly related or thought of relation to the ira, where

Oh, you know there is some evidence that they were rooted in celtic tradition. Hundreds of years ago there were you know that stories of people undergoing hunger strikes in it. Might you know it was in a surly political at the time, so how it will go down as the bike? Maybe somebody owed you money and wouldn't give it to you, so you would go very publicly to where they live camp out on their doorstep and engage in a hunger strike and it was sort of just stay very public display of now maybe didn't have means to get it any other way. So very public display and way of saying this. britain is doing me wrong- and I am out here like starving myself- pay attention right. It was so when it was actually written into gaelic law. I was called the troll scared, her trust god, I'm going with trow scared and it was it was there

The concept of hospitality in ireland among the gaelic people was so strong that it was just unthinkable till somebody starve on your doorstep, so it was really kind of playing on two things. I was drawing tension to somebody, and then it was also showing what a terrible person who were for letting this person starve on their doorstep. The thing is this is real. That really happened like it's it. It comes up in some of the epics from the gaelic culture and It gets documented that it was a real thing, but, what's not documented is its link to, the ira. Hunger strikes at the beginning of the twentyth century and then toward the end of the twentieth century does nobody involved in those ever said. I'm I'm doing I'm pulling a trow scared, they didn't linked to it, but you can make a case that it was kind of like in the culture to think of doing something like that, because it had been around for hundreds of years yeah. I think, that's fair to say an

you know it continued like in the early nineteen hundreds there were we raising it. Suffragettes suffragists suffered suffragists yeah like how you call female or mail server, a server or female, or male actor in actor. We don't do you know. I have the David very suddenly confuses me there. the good song- and it should remain, but they would undergo hunger strikes, but they would bring in sort of religious iconography, sometimes, and sort of paint themselves as martyrs they would invoke the virgin mary and joan of arc and stuff like that and again this is is not exactly the same thing, but this is just a in the early nineties hundreds there were there were women in ireland that were undergoing these hunger strikes. They are, happened in russia, and I think they called some of these, like russian method. They would get there. They would do this reverse, like

force, feeding like rivers, stomach bumping to force feed some of these people. sometimes that would kill them. So it was. It was just a nasty way to draw attention in the way that it was countered was also nasty. Yes, first, I re members to hunger strike. You won't go on hunger strike were inspired by the suffragists, who were sometimes in the same prisoners them yes. I remember to do it with James Connally, who went on hunger strike in nineteen thirteen. It was actually released from prison as a result in then. two years later, the case of thomas ash drew national. I think, maybe even international attention, because he went on hunger strike and they accidently killed him when they tried to force feed him yeah they pumped milk and eggs into his lungs by accident. It is. I mean it's hard to think of like what kind of an

for death. After your already starving yourselves- and we should also point out too that another similarity that they have with these original early, Nineteen hundred suffragists with their hunger strikes, is They were- and this is a very key thing for what ended up being. You know the hunger strikes in the nineteen eighty that we're gonna talk about in a bit, but one of their main aims was to be looked at as political prisoners and not criminal prisoners yeah. That was a boy big ongoing thread throughout all of this, starting with the suffragists. And all the way into the eighties with the modern irae. So A major we talk about every minute, yes, well, You know, there's a huge difference in being the is a criminal and wearing prisoners clothing. And having up prisoners rights, which are to say like criminal prisoners, rights, which are to say not very many and

what they were fighting for and what the the ira was later fighting for in the eighties in the seventies, which was weird little prisoners. We want to be able. We do want to look like common criminals. We want to wear own own clothes. We want to be able to but to associate with with each other and walk about outside of ourselves and congregate, and in nineteen seventy six year they this for a while, but nineteen, seventy six, a british government said no. We're going to treat you like your terrorist, and common criminals and you ve gotta. Wear these you can't come creating more you, you gonna, where you know prisoners jumpsuit, and this was a big big deal. It really was for a number of reasons. One, the the reason why the brits said you were not going to recognize use political prisoners is because they had it at first and and they decided that this was generating too much sympathy

and legitimizing the ira in its struggle for irish independence, way too much and by care casting them as criminals rather than political prisoners. They were saying like hey. These people are dangerous, their thugs, their terrorists, and you should be on the side of us, the brits in the protestants who were cleaning up the streets and getting these people off the streets and in the jail so it wasn't just the the the way. Your day to day life panned out. In prison. It was also like the larger public perception a battle for that. That was going on that both sides were really entrenched in their way of thinking with them, well yeah, that's the reason. A hunger strike in the case of the ira was or could be at least effective as a pr tool, because a common when a prisoner is it ain't to literally starved themselves to death for cars. So On one hand, you have the british government

saying you know we're not gonna recognize you you're just terrorists. On the other hand, The irish starving themselves to death rate fighting. rights to wear their own clothing. I think this one thing you sent me said as the arab them congregating is that prison, they decide that is another ira headquarters, basically yeah they. They did a lot of strategizing in the early seventies and they were able to chuck because of something called operation. Demetrius and thou. Is something that the british army carried out, a nineteen seventy one and it ended up. act, firing because a generated, a tremendous amount of public sympathy for the ira in its movement, because the british army just started rounding up suspected members of the ira and put them in what amounted to a prisoner of war camp. There is no due process. They didn't get to play their case in front of a judge if they

accidentally got scooped up and they really had nothing to do with the ira to yes, there was no recourse for getting out there and they set up the brits set up a pre, a prisoner of war, camp in northern ireland to hold, I think, hundreds and hundreds of of prisoners, starting in nineteen seventy one and it really We really rubbed the public the wrong way, because it's eighteen, seventy one you know. Yet this isn't like that 17th century all over again? It's one thousand nine hundred and seventy one and they're rounding people up and holding them in prisoners of prisoner of war camps against their well that's crazy. Yes, you know, a hunger strike- could be a pretty effective way to draw. Mentioned this. You know at points out of you about hunger strikes. It could make it more effective, which is obviously to do. It is a collective action. Is a much stronger message that you're sending than any. visual.

So if you have a group with a political cause, you're gonna get more attention. You know it cast the prison officials in a light of which they're either allowing these people to starve to death, which is you know a monstrous thing. You know where their force feeding them, which sometimes kills them, which is a monstrous thing to do, and You know your body basically shuts down. I think we talked about starvation and other episodes before. But you know your body uses up your fat stores and went. That's got one that's gone starts literally like eating at europe muscle eating at your internal organs and between you know, forty Seventy something days year, your body

It's going to finally succumb to organ failure and you're going to die yeah and yeah once you're when your body starts eating its own organs, you're in trouble, and even if you managed to survive the the the hunger strike, you're probably have done some serious permanent damage to yourself. So so like we're saying after operation demetrius right, they rounded up a bunch of suspected. I remembers treated him as prisoners of war, but at the same time were also busting. Other irey leaders with legitimate in legitimate criminal acts like gun possession things like that, so you had to groups of ira prisoners being tree separately the ones in the internment camp being treated like political prisoners or prisoners or in the ones in the jail being treated like common criminals, so to kind of get the same treatment in the jail as the political prisoners in the pew w camps were

a guy named Billy marquis, who is irey leader stage, the first modern hunger strike in nineteen, seventy two- That's right and there was an active strategy for about four years. This was right at that time. I think it was Seventy six women- had that shift from recognising them as political prisoners to just you know criminal prisoners, so this was poor. at that time and kind of lead up to that shift yeah and then so you ve got the criminalization campaign being carried out by the brits and the protestants in northern ireland who are running the government in remember it has a twofold effect like you can no longer congregate You can no longer strategies were no longer gonna, recognise your hierarchy, you have ranks in just deal your leaders like you're, just a common

criminal. Now in it also turned the tables on the irish prison. Who had formerly been treated with general respect by the guards guards were let loose on these people and it led to a a really horrible time to be an ira prisoner because it's almost like there is pent up rage thing among the guards and they just released it on the prisoners They poured scalding water on them. They wisdom down with cold water hoses in winter time they a beat them regularly and routinely in again. retreated is common criminals and it was a gift from what I can tell you from about nineteen. Seventy six to nineteen. Eighty wine was bout, is bad time, as you could be irey prisoner, as there ever was here that will take it back

set, but before we do, I do want to mention the movie that I much today, because I figure there was probably a movie about this, sir. Mcqueen, the director, the did twelve years a slave and shame directed movies first movie, actually now remained reacted. Pa was nymphomaniac. You watched none at him it was that that no there is a large country yeah, but he did one where far spenders sex at any rate, a shame. Ok seen that is that what you watched, then, in august yeah like what he wins, the hunters and drank, and a start It was his first movie from two thousand eight, also with Michael fast bender as Bobby sands. Who will you know get too the break, but it was called hunger and boy, oh boy! I reckon in one sense and that it was a powerful film it was hard to watch my friend I can imagine it was brew

it's a very structures. It is sort of a kind of a non traditional narrative. It's not like a traditional object that you would expect this very quiet, not out of dialogue. It's only ninety six may long, but it's a very slow pace film, but is there really I mean I get the since it was a really realistic depiction. of those years that you were talking about between them, any six and eighty one, and these guys were just the wise man they were, They would call in the riot squad and basically open cells in throw them They could bodies into the hallway and beat them with. But and unlike like cut off, they are here and there beards like till they were bloody and it was. It was up here hurry up movie to watch and at the hunger? try. Part of it is only like the last.

twenty minutes or so of the film that the whole first part is just sort of the conditions in prison what's going on, so I reckon on one hand, it is not for the faint of heart, but what can I take? It now and we'll talk about what else is going on. the prisons in nineteen seventy socratically, what you are. A major transit system with building of passengers taking millions of trips every year. You are about to let any cyber attack slow you down, so you with ibm to build a security architecture to keep your data network and applications protected. Now you can tackle threat, so they don't bring you to a grinding halt and

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hey! That's the sound of another sail on shop, a five all in one commerce platform to start run and grow your businesses and chuck it right chap. If I gives entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business, so upstart start ups and establish businesses alike can sell everywhere, synchronize online and in person, sales and effortlessly stay informed scaling. Your business is a journey of endless possibility. We can reach customers online and across social networks, with an ever growing suite of channel integrations aimed at including facebook, instagram tik, tok pinterest him more. You can synchronize your online and impersonal sales to you gain insights as you grow, with detailed reporting of conversion rates, profit margins and beyond its more than a store shop. If I grows with you suggest, go to shop if I dotcom slash stuff all lower case for a free fourteen day trial and get full access to shop of eyes, entire suite of features grow. Your business was shot

provide today go to shop of rye, dotcom, slash stuff right now he said. Are you video calling me from home once again saving money? That's my jam! What we think our dining said or wicker lounge. Sat since your signature dish is a margarita go with lounge, okay, I m so ready for this party. It's been too long. Wait go back. Show me those pretty ceramic plates their melamine. Even you can't break them. Look these key cushions matching that my shirt outfit, your outdoors, have it today, at home sense stand out pieces outside Prices are right Oh in the film and in real life, in fact, this is how the films

it's out is the first prisoner that comes in refuses his prison clothes and that's it started the blanket protest when they were basically like I'm not gonna where your common criminal outfit and they basically said, ok well, you're, just gonna be naked. Twenty four seven. For years. And here's your blanket and that's that's gonna, be your clothing, and so they did. Then it's called the blanket protests that first prisoner under this new criminalization scheme said you know, Finally, this where a blanket blake in very short order, I think four hundred other irey prisoners did. The same thing is called the blanket protest. They were all this naked in the movie, the whole time where they really do Have you seen the new kids in the hall? yeah, I'm dying to know there's a day. the whole truth about than in some places in its like wow It's pretty hilarious, really yeah and I have to say I think, they're they're, better,

Thirdly, they were in the first go, guthrum allow it in which is very surprising, but it really there I left out, allow more than I did it. I remember doing an average kids in the whole episode, While I was a little actually worried to watch, it don't be for fear of like they're, not now going to be as great anymore, and I would be it would taint the original or something no, definitely not, and I understood that how does something like a follow obtained in original paint, the ones to me take the original it takes the the whole. sometimes as a whole memory accents yeah. That makes more sense for sure. Maybe I will you like those originals aren't funny. Now it's not like that to slay I gotcha like a boy than they went under, do something not good. So

yeah. I wouldn't worry about that, and I want to talk it up too much of your expecting, like I hated the young ones should be lay down, but I dont think you will be fantastic, can't wait, nakedness here, so I guess That's blanket protest, I'm not sure how long it went on, but it went on for quite awhile- and it happened during that period- that I guess hunger covers, which again is about the worst time. You could be an ira prisoner because, like they weren't doing this to common criminals that were in the sea prison. They were doing it to the irish members, so they went from treating them as political prisoners. a general amount of respect and all of the freedoms that that that came with. To regularly beating them in them down with cold water in the winter, and we like taking their clothes and like that was the the ship, the change and in treatment, and they were we need to the ira because they were

to send a message of the british government was like this is what we think of you, this we're going to treat. You should probably stop right now, because this is what you can expect if we catch you from now on there that treat that gentlemen's agreement that we have before that's gone. yeah. So in nineteen, seventy eight in the film kind of betrays the blanket protest is concurrent with the dirty protest matter. If that's the case, because the dirty protests came round. Nineteen. Seventy eight does when, and this was really gross, hard to watch in the film bow, I'm sure steve, mcqueen covered boy very well. I know it and bleed This makes me want to see twelve. The slave more because like animals, but now we have seen us I know it's going to be hard to sit through again and I'm still avoiding it, but I want to see it more because I know it's going to be like super realistic. I think so there was your gateway drug to twelve years. I guess so dirty protesters. When the prisoner said I

well we're gonna be in here and you're, not gonna, give us any rights. We we're. Gonna bathe, we're gonna smear are feces all over the wall. our food all over the wall and we're gonna ache, our europe, and feces and dump it under the the cell door out into the hallways you have to deal with it and was a very, very the disgusting movie to watch, but this really happened so one of the Other things that happen to was there among those ira prisoners who are treated like this. They, formed a bond that, as probably ever been formed in the history of humanity. Yeah, because you know no group was ever necessarily subjected to that. Exactly like that, exactly the same way. So I mean I'm sure there are other similar bonds. Among you know, in aid and imprison populations, but because

they were already fighting for a cause they believed in and they were suffering for cause. They believed in this stepped up treatment, which is made that bond between them even stronger, so one of the things that they they they that came out of all this work, as a what's called the five demands- and it was basically like you could summarize it is do we want to be treated like political prisoners, yeah and they're, all reasonable demands. One was began to whether unclose number two was did not have to go and work detail said they wanted to be allowed a visit in a package. In a letter, one one in one per week in the film they did get visitors and they were smuggling in all kinds of things. Under the table, which is always great part of any prison film church they wanted the freedom to associate again in organizing congregate in and they wanted to revoke

any of the punishments that happened because of these protests that were already in place. yeah man, like you, said the reasonable and they're so reasonable. They almost seem small like diaries going through this, and that's all they want. But again, remember you're, being treated like a pair of political prisoner has a lot to do with optics in the general public right yet. So that makes a little more sense than that. It's just that is all they were asking for, and there was they got. It big assist by a woman named bernadette macau is who had been a member of parliament parliament not George Clinton version, but like the original, she played keywords. So So she was fairly well known and she actually ran in the european parliament on a five demands platform in nineteen. Seventy nine- and there is an assassination

attempt on her life from the Ulster defence force, which was one of those paramilitary groups that that began at the beginning of the troubles. But they were a protestant paramilitary groups and she survived. The assassination attempt would show up to rallies and protests on crutches, but she did a really great job focusing public's support and attention on what was going on in the prisons in the protests that were being carried out and why they were being carried out and following that, the early nineteen eighties is already saw sort of the two main ma hunger strikes, that was the one in the seventies, but the two in the eighties. Really, I think that the most media attention. One began october, twenty seven nineteen, eighty and this was leave seven strikers quit eating again to try and get these five demands carried through. lasted fifty three days and remember:

that's right in the wheel house of where you could die and one named Sean mckenna was very near death and this whole time. Michael Thatcher is, you know, she's The iron lady for reason and choose very much a hardliner and at it was a direct quote in the movie. No, she said basically that their these terror resorting to a last resort. Witches pity that we should have pity on them. But basically that's not gonna happen, but she was prepared to come to a settlement in this case because of the optics. The strike did in because I didn't want John Mccain to die excel, be really bad optics, so that was the nineteen eighty strike, proceeding the one in march of eighty one year, the reason, the march of- eighty one hunger strike started is because the brits had agreed verbally to to

giving in on the five demands and treating the ira prisoners as political prisoners again and then reneged on it. They just didn't, follow through they never got it in writing, basically as what it amounted to, and so they staged an even bigger, even more public hunger strike starting march first nineteen, eighty one and they its. I think it involved, at least twenty three hunger strikers, but rather than all striking beginning at the same time like they did in october, they staggered at five people a week so that this hunger strike could be drawn out even law yeah and that dumb, that makes sense also was wondering to during the film like or before the like why. Why can't they just squash this in the press? and not let any of this outcome, a hunger strike is only good if the public knows about it, but we're still getting visitors that throughout this whole time, so there were

Bobby sands. Parents visited him in prison and saw like his condition as he was like slipping away- and you know we mention sands, because he was very much the sort of the main public face. is eighty one strike bobby Actually, I was elected to the british house of commons. while he was wasting away in prison, obviously what no out a campaign or anything like that and couldn't have because he was slowly dying of starvation, but this was a very big deal that he was actually elected to the house of commons yeah. It was a big deal because it focused a tremendous amount of public attention like, every paper in the world was writing about how a guy the prison was elected to parliament in and now that we're talking about him, why is he in prison and oh he's on a hunger strike? Why is he on a hunger strike? So it was a really big pie,

our coup for the irish, but then also politically speaking, it had like of it was a really big signal. That the only way he could have been elected was if moderate catholics who normally just didn't go to the polls, because they didn't want to support the ira, but they also weren't about two to vote for a protestant candidate. They came out and they voted for the irish member. So it showed that the average person in northern ireland, the average catholic was really upset with. the british retreating, the ira in there treatment of the ira was starting to backfire, in that it was generating public sympathy and support that hadn't been there before yet we should point out, he was young guy. He will ya twenty six years old when he started this strike. I think he turned twenty seven during the strike, so he was it. You know I think I had heard a bobby sands and always just sort of pictured emma's, maybe some guy in his fur but he's for some reason me to but

He was very young guy and he finally you know, died of starvation on may. Fifth, this sixty six days into the strike riot start erupting all over the place and protest all over the world. Basically, it was a very, very pub matter- and I remember hearing about this when I was a kid Even I didn't understand, was going on. Remember, hearing about Bobby sands dying oh yeah wow. It's really not in my wheelhouse. At the time I think I was playing with tonka truck, maybe knifes, I remember, big news events like that, though I didn't, you know, number John lennon dying- and I was like he's the guy with around glasses yeah that Kennedy so When sands die, that was a really really big deal. Thousands and thousands of people turned out furs. His funeral, including very famously

ira, paramilitary members, who were wearing like balaclavas, basically and at the funeral and along the streets along his funeral procession. There were thousands more people, you know who turned out so it oh just how much like people supported the ira or, at the very least, sympathise with the ira that they were willing to die to starve themselves to death. Further cause and Bobby saints knew he was going to die. He said towards the beginning: he fully expected to die yeah and- and he did he he he put his. He did what, but I I would say most of us, would never do he being starved himself to death for the cause that he believed in to help the cause that he believed and help to basically serve as an inspiration to show this cause means so much that me in some other people are willing to die to starve ourselves too

brutal brutal death to help help further the cause to help generate publicity for this cause so by the way, faster dropped. Forty pounds for this role soon be economic, polar christian bail it. We must really like. to see that you know, I mean he already he's pretty slight guy, even like under normal circumstances. You know he weighed one: seventy and dropped down to one thirty, while fairly ate, like nuts berries and stuff every day that was about it mile, Oh sands, obviously was the that the main headline, but he was just one of ten men. They die imprisoned during these hunger strikes. I think there are only three total of thirteen survived and add, is keen to point out that, you know the reason that some of these men survived is you know eventually, you're gonna lose consciousness and your family might step in and

you know: you're gonna get your medical nutrition intravenous lee. In that case, that wasn't the case, obviously with the ten who did who did die in prison, but I think it a lot The cases of the thirteen that survived was because they were unable to make their own choice their family intervened. So this this this hunger strike the second one went on for march, first, one thousand nine hundred and eighty one to October third, one thousand nine hundred and eighty one and claimed the lives of ten men. Ten people died during that period of time, from hunger from starving themselves in it finally ended at least in part, because one of the villains in this story. Humphrey Atkins, he was at the time the secretary of state for northern ireland, and was much aligned with the the no pity viewpoint of Margaret thatcher. He was replaced. He

he was replaced by somebody wasn't quite as much a hardliner guy named James, pryor and pryor is like. I want to put an end to this start negotiating and they ended the strike on october. Third, nineteen, eighty one again with ten people dead and that six month period starvation. The air, in a kind of you know, depends on which side your on and whether or not you believe it's an effective thing, because they ended up some sort of in a roundabout way getting a lot of the five demands met, but it was never like an official declaration that you are a prisoner and we're the major five demands it just sort of it. It was so you know it if you. get it from the thatcher side there. Ever gave in. If you like, edit from irish side, they ended up in a roundabout way. Getting there

same status. But I think there were probably a lot of ira to this, saw it as a defeat, because they, you know, weren't, officially recognized as such. Right and we should say going on outside the prison gates in in northern ireland. Throughout this time or car bombings assassinations. Protests riots There are a lot of riots around northern ireland when Bobby sands died it. So it's only since the only thing the IRA was doing with, which is focused on this. But one of the things that came out of these hunger strikes was this idea especially among the ship Fein leadership that they, they were never going to liberate northern ireland just through the paramilitary that there was going to require politics and- and this this show especially the election of Bobby sands to parliament. While he was in prison that

The IRA was via viable, politically speaking dear me, really interesting to see what happens yeah moving forward yeah, that's where they they can kind of source that where they are today, is pretty much there from those hunger strikes in nineteen. Eighty one and I would love to hear from our listeners in northern ireland and in the irish republic like what they were there. thoughts are of you know, because at addressed stuff you should know listeners dinner is being you know alive in the world and having the study learned opinions learned opinions, so I will to hear from both sides to see what they think, know what their dinner is over there. You can hear the word on the street. Her kick the word on the cobblestone street anything else. Now. This is a given chuck could pick I'm glad. I did it

Since I said, I'm glad we did it it's time, of course, for listener. Name, by the way. You know I'm waylaid late on this, but you know, bono son is a band enjoyments helpful. He's a ban called inhaler, and I just heard about it and listen to what they put out last summer and it sounds exactly like youtube boy He sounds just like his dad, It has the energy of like the early. You too, it's really good. I, like it yeah, I don't. I don't mean that in a negative derivative wave, you know your your voice sounds like somebody related to just by genetics, yeah and the case like I want to sound. Like my dad, you know sure yeah, I don't think he's using auto tune like that. I'm just surprised they didn't go in like a totally different direction. Musically, like maybe like folk folk rocker, for progress,

yeah I mean I did see, that their written reviews to some people can and knocked it for like going for that, big stadium, and they make you two thing right out of the gate, but you know stuff, it is what I say where the sun don't shine. Let someone may the music they want to make a good for them at their gettin, huge alone yeah for sure So this is just one of many squirrel emails. We got who knew that that was killed. hate, so much email momo did how man it's crazy, like we get there the people screechin on little squirrels that they been feeding squirrels column, people's lapse in up, thereby sittin on their shoulders like wild squirrels, it's pretty amazing white white albino squirrels are black squirrels. Where was it the heads of the ones with the big long years,

I don't know, I didn't see those hours. If you talk, I'm guessing utah can't remember if your now, but here they have these little sort of wizard long ears that stick up. It's amazing Wizard years, a wizard ears, fears that wizard. Ok, I got everybody wizardry, I don't think so not occur. To jerry guidance. all right. So here we go in the recent swirl of Sir jack said Jimmy get it can get a squirrel and hid it with a stick and here's. My story twenty twenty, my wife and I were on a national road trip in the western. U s and why Higgins ion erica and on the trail behind me I looked back. A couple was rushing over decided to trail where there was a significant drop. Of course, her son had gone over the edge terrifying to witness, thankfully the boy had been getting caught on a tree

then was not noticeably injured. Here's how we got there, the boy spotted a squirrel the trail and hid it with a stick. It came after screeched, the boy startling him in classic him to retreat, straight over the ledge. Let this be a teaching moment, demographic growth, the sticks are, you may be in for a nasty spill and that is for a my red stiller in Dallas texas. Who is it because they re an m grad and came to athens for aggies bulldogs game a couple years ago and had a great time in athens and said to come out to college station for a game, and you will have a great time as well. Very nice thanks for the invite we appreciate then, who was that that is read stiller! Will thanks a lot read. We appreciate that big time. That is a really good story. Actually, my evil part says: if you want to get in touch.

This, like a red, did you can send us an email to stuff, podcast, iheart radio, dotcom stuff you should now is a production, as I heard radio from our path. It's my heart. Radio visit that I hurt radioactive apple had passed every listen to your favorite shows the.