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Bobby Sands and the hunger strikers book

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  • 05-05-2011 1:32pm
    #1
    Adamgelston
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭


    Hi, I'm looking for someone to recommended a good Impartial book on the above subject. Any suggestions much appreaciated.


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    #2
    PatsytheNazi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,260 ✭✭✭PatsytheNazi


    Adamgelston wrote: »
    Hi, I'm looking for someone to recommended a good Impartial book on the above subject. Any suggestions much appreaciated.
    Ten Men Dead by Peter Beresford Ellis is easily the best book on the subject, I would rate it as one of the best books I have ever read, it's chilling. It tells not just what was going on in the prison, but of events outside with people been killed etc Hopefully events that Ireland will never see again.


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    #3
    R P McMurphy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,129 ✭✭✭R P McMurphy


    Agree with ten men dead, well written and researched


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    #4
    MarchDub
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,731 ✭✭✭MarchDub


    PatsytheNazi wrote: »
    Ten Men Dead by Peter Beresford Ellis is easily the best book on the subject, I would rate it as one of the best books I have ever read, it's chilling. It tells not just what was going on in the prison, but of events outside with people been killed etc Hopefully events that Ireland will never see again.

    You made a slip :) - the author's name is actually David Beresford - he was the Guardian correspondent for Ireland. I'm not sure if he is related to Peter Beresford Ellis - ?

    I'm searching around for a book review and will post if I find one.


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    #5
    MarchDub
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,731 ✭✭✭MarchDub


    I found this review of the book in the New York Times. Some interesting anecdotes.

    http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/02/books/messages-from-a-hunger-strike.html


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    #6
    serenacat
    Registered Users Posts: 670 ✭✭✭serenacat


    Adamgelston wrote: »
    Hi, I'm looking for someone to recommended a good Impartial book on the above subject. Any suggestions much appreaciated.

    His diary is great, he wrote it from prison on toilet paper. 'Bobby Sands writings from prison'


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    #7
    tim_holsters
    Registered Users Posts: 1,466 ✭✭✭tim_holsters


    Ten Men Dead is indeed worthy, you could also try Blanketmen by Richard O'Rawe it has some details in in that Mr Beresford wasn't privy too.


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    #8
    bobbysands81
    Registered Users Posts: 7,200 ✭✭✭bobbysands81


    Ten Men Dead really has to be the definitive book on the Hungerstrikers. A superb read.

    During the book Beresford talks about an English journalist visiting the prison, that English journalist is him.


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    #9
    R P McMurphy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,129 ✭✭✭R P McMurphy


    tim_holsters wrote: »
    Ten Men Dead is indeed worthy, you could also try Blanketmen by Richard O'Rawe it has some details in in that Mr Beresford wasn't privy too.

    O'Rawe is not exactly impartial though, lot of axes to grind


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    #10
    decskelligs
    Registered Users Posts: 108 ✭✭decskelligs


    http://www.mercierpress.ie/Writings_from_Prison/282/

    found this one online


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    #11
    R P McMurphy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,129 ✭✭✭R P McMurphy


    There used to be a website called the blanket, has a fair few articles penned by republican ex-prisoners. Again would not be impartial and I think it may have closed now though.


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    #12
    tim_holsters
    Registered Users Posts: 1,466 ✭✭✭tim_holsters


    R P McMurphy wrote: »
    O'Rawe is not exactly impartial though, lot of axes to grind

    Fair point, I was forgetting about the impartiality stressed by the OP. Still the book is essential reading for anybody interest in Bobby Sands and the hunger strikers. It would be remiss not to read it.


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    #13
    man1
    Registered Users Posts: 446 ✭✭man1


    'On the Blanket: The H-Block story' by Tim Pat Coogan was very good I seem to remember.


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    #14
    PatsytheNazi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,260 ✭✭✭PatsytheNazi


    man1 wrote: »
    'On the Blanket: The H-Block story' by Tim Pat Coogan was very good I seem to remember.
    Good book but not as good as Ten Men Dead though.


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    #15
    Wolfe Tone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,670 ✭✭✭✭Wolfe Tone


    "Nor meekly serve my time" was a good read too.


    Obviously Bobby Sands diary entries and "One day in my life" are pretty much required reading.


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    #16
    [-0-]
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,981 ✭✭✭[-0-]


    Ted Men Dead is amazing. I'm currently reading it - I've about 80 pages left. I don't want it to end and that's always the sign of a great book, it's a thrilling read.

    Next up is Bobby Sands: Writings from Prison.


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    #17
    Luca Brasi
    Registered Users Posts: 300 ✭✭Luca Brasi


    serenacat wrote: »
    His diary is great, he wrote it from prison on toilet paper. 'Bobby Sands writings from prison'

    Another great Provo myth. It is generally accepted that it was written by someone outside the prison and jizzed up for propaganda purposes


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    #18
    Rented Mule
    Registered Users Posts: 5,153 ✭✭✭Rented Mule


    serenacat wrote: »
    His diary is great, he wrote it from prison on toilet paper. 'Bobby Sands writings from prison'

    I've read this as well. I'm going to open a can of worms here and mention how much of a similarity I felt between Bobby Sands writing and Gerry Adams writing.

    10 Men Dead is the best book on the subject.


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    #19
    Dr.Nightdub
    Registered Users Posts: 108 ✭✭Dr.Nightdub


    tim_holsters wrote: »
    Ten Men Dead is indeed worthy, you could also try Blanketmen by Richard O'Rawe it has some details in in that Mr Beresford wasn't privy too.

    O'Rawe's "Afterlives", which is like a sequel to "Blanketmen", is also well worth a read.


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    #20
    tac foley
    Registered Users Posts: 5,500 ✭✭✭tac foley


    Rented Mule wrote: »
    I'm going to open a can of worms here and mention how much of a similarity I felt between Bobby Sands writing and Gerry Adams writing.

    How strange it is that you should notice that....

    Reportedly a great writer, Mr Adams.

    tac


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    #21
    GRMA
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,417 ✭✭✭GRMA


    Any evidence for such a claim? Anything solidto back it up?


    As for the implied allegations that Gerry Adams wrote it, any proof/evidence or is it just a prejudiced personal opinion pulled from an orifice?

    This is the history forum.

    I've read lots of things Adams wrote, from his "Brownie" articles in An Phoblacht written yonks ago (not all stuff under that pen name was Adams) to his books (his first is still the best, Politics of Irish Freedom) and I don't see any similarity to Sands's writings except for the issues/themes dealt with in them. I've also read some of Sands articles in APRN under the pen name Marcella. Again I don't see similarities in style etc.

    Where is the evidence for these unfounded claims? There's plenty of evidence Sands wrote them. Thats because he did.


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    #22
    tac foley
    Registered Users Posts: 5,500 ✭✭✭tac foley


    GRMA wrote: »
    Any evidence for such a claim? Anything solidto back it up?


    As for the implied allegations that Gerry Adams wrote it, any proof/evidence or is it just a prejudiced personal opinion pulled from an orifice?

    Yup.

    As for it being the history forum, Mr Adams has a historically-recognised reputation coupled inextricably with an undeniable enthusiasm for weasel-wording in both speech and writing. That is not an opinion.

    And yes, I'm biased, and since I'm not an [unbiased] historian, I'm allowed it.

    tac


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    #23
    GRMA
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,417 ✭✭✭GRMA


    Is that a yes that you do have evidence or an admission that you just made it up?


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    #24
    Luca Brasi
    Registered Users Posts: 300 ✭✭Luca Brasi


    GRMA wrote: »
    Is that a yes that you do have evidence or an admission that you just made it up?

    Well I suppose forgery was more of the Officals/Workers Party type of operation


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    #25
    GRMA
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,417 ✭✭✭GRMA


    Luca Brasi wrote: »
    Well I suppose forgery was more of the Officals/Workers Party type of operation
    You originally made the claim that the fact that Sand's wrote a diary was a "provo myth". Do you have any evidence? Saying something is "generally accepted" (it is not) does not make it so.


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    #26
    jonniebgood1
    Registered Users Posts: 3,577 ✭✭✭jonniebgood1


    Luca Brasi wrote: »
    Another great Provo myth. It is generally accepted that it was written by someone outside the prison and jizzed up for propaganda purposes

    Source?


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    #27
    R P McMurphy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,129 ✭✭✭R P McMurphy


    tac foley wrote: »

    Yup.

    As for it being the history forum, Mr Adams has a historically-recognised reputation coupled inextricably with an undeniable enthusiasm for weasel-wording in both speech and writing. That is not an opinion.

    And yes, I'm biased, and since I'm not an [unbiased] historian, I'm allowed it.

    tac
    No you are expected to show some foundation for your claims. Excerpts that show similarities in style might back up your claim. As for the claim those that were on the blanket with him confirmed he wrote the prose, diaries and poems. Given that they were actually present during the events I think their claims are a little more substantive than some Walter mitty with no foundation


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