В Балине пройдет национальная церемония памяти участников голодовки 1981 года

Remembering their sacrifice, building Ireland’s future By Rose Conway-Walsh, TD THIS year marks the 45th anniversary of the 1981 Hunger Strike, one of the most profound and pivotal periods in modern Irish history. On Sunday, August 30, people from across Ireland will gather in Ballina for the National Hunger Strike Commemoration. It is a great honour for Mayo to host this important national event and I hope that people from throughout our county will join us. We will remember the 10 men who died in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh in 1981: Bobby Sands, Francis Hughes, Raymond McCreesh, Patsy O’Hara, Joe McDonnell, Martin Hurson, Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Thomas McElwee and Mickey Devine. Their courage and sacrifice had an impact far beyond the prison walls. The Hunger Strike captured the attention of Ireland and the world. It exposed the failure of the British Government’s policy of criminalisation and became a turning point in Irish politics. Forty-five years later, their names remain etched into our national story. Here in Mayo, the history of hunger strike has a particular resonance. Michael Gaughan, a native of Ballina, died on hunger strike in Parkhurst Prison in 1974. Frank Stagg, from Hollymount, died on hunger strike in Wakefield Prison in 1976. And an earlier generation remembers Seán 'Jack' McNeela, from Ballycroy, who died on hunger strike in 1940 a few days after Tony Darcy from Galway. These were Mayo men, deeply rooted in their communities, who believed passionately in Ireland’s right to freedom and self-determination. That connection makes it especially fitting that the National Hunger Strike Commemoration should come to Ballina this year. But commemoration must be about more than looking backwards. We remember the past because it tells us something about who we are, how far we have travelled and the kind of country we want to build for those who come after us. The Ireland of 2026 is very different from the Ireland of 1981. The political landscape has been transformed. The peace process and the Good Friday Agreement have provided a peaceful and democratic pathway through which the people of Ireland can determine our constitutional future. Today, Irish unity is no longer a distant aspiration. It is a real and growing political possibility. Across Ireland, a new generation is looking at our future with confidence. They are proud of who they are, outward-looking and ambitious for their country. Increasingly, they are asking why an island as small as ours should continue to be divided, and what we could achieve by planning together for a new and united Ireland. For me, that is where remembrance and hope meet. Irish unity cannot simply mean changing lines on a map. It must be about building something better: a fairer economy, stronger public services, decent housing, good jobs and opportunities for our young people in every part of Ireland. It must also be about reconciliation and respect. A new Ireland must have room for all our traditions and identities, and it must be built in partnership with those who may not share our political outlook today. That is the future Sinn Féin wants to help build. For counties such as Mayo, that conversation matters enormously. A united Ireland must not be a project centred on Dublin or Belfast. It must work for the West, for rural Ireland and for communities that have too often seen their young people forced to leave in search of opportunity. The best tribute we can pay to those we commemorate is to approach the future with the same determination and belief that change is possible. On Sunday, August 30, republicans and friends from every part of Ireland will come to Ballina. Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill will deliver the keynote address at what promises to be a very special national gathering. We will remember the 10 men, led by Bobby Sands, who died in the H-Blocks in pursuit of justice. We will remember Mayo’s Michael Gaughan, Frank Stagg and Jack McNeela. We will remember their families and all those who endured the prison struggle. But above all, we will look forward. Forty-five years after the Hunger Strike, a generation has the opportunity to build a peaceful, reconciled and united Ireland. That is a future worth working for. I hope the people of Mayo will come out in strength in Ballina on Sunday, August 30, to remember, to reflect and, most importantly, to look forward together with confidence and hope.