From Prison Cells to Parliament: How the H-Block Hunger Strikes Transformed Sinn Féin to Enable Peace in Northern Ireland

The 1988 Good Friday Agreement signed in Belfast is regarded as a landmark feat of diplomacy. Allowing for a non-violent redistribution of power, the Good Friday Agreement marked the end of a nearly thirty-year period of violence known as The Troubles. The efficacy of this agreement relied on the participation of members of the I.R.A. and Sinn Féin, something that likely would not have happened if not for a 1981 Hunger Strike that changed the public’s perception of the Irish Republican movement and launched the platform for Sinn Féin as a legitimate political organization. This paper explores the development of the H-Block prison protests and the subsequent political campaigns that allowed the movement to shift from armalite to ballot box and ultimately achieve peace in Northern Ireland. Part of the panel: Wagers, Wounds, and WordsModerator: Professor Thomas Luckett