In 1981, ten young men starved themselves to death in a prison on the outskirts of Belfast.
They were all members of the Irish Republican Army and had been protesting for their right to be treated as political prisoners. Their deaths shocked the world.
The hunger strikes made martyrs of the young republicans who died and were the culmination of a thirty-year conflict in Ireland that, by its conclusion, had claimed the lives of 3,500 people and earned a euphemism: the riots.
The strikes also marked the moment when a little-known fringe nationalist group called Sinn Féin was catapulted from obscurity into the mainstream.
Four decades later, Sinn Féin made history when it won the popular vote in Ireland’s 2020 general election and came close to taking power on both sides of the Irish border.
Gerry Adams is the former president of Sinn Féin, elected in 1983.
When the IRA took its fight to the British mainland, bombs exploded in Brighton, Hyde Park and Manchester, killing thousands of innocent civilians and… almost, Margaret Thatcher.
Now, with the country on the eve of another election, Sinn Féin should be strong in the polls. Rather, they are stuck in chaos and disorder.
Criticized for failing to achieve a coherent immigration policy and dogged by accusations of sexual abuse and internal cover-ups. His electoral prospects seem dubious at best.
Whatever one thinks of them, Sinn Féin remains one of the most consequential political movements in recent history and, more than any other political party, its political fortunes remain irrevocably determined by its past.
To understand Sinn Féin you have to go back to its roots.
In this limited series launching on November 22, political editor John Lee, who has been covering Sinn Féin for three decades, explores the history of the conflict that became known as the Troubles to understand where Sinn Féin came from and where it could arise. be going
He has spoken to key players on both sides of the Irish border, including current and former politicians, peace activists, former members of the Provisional IRA and ordinary civilians.
And he has asked everyone… who really are Sinn Féin?
- Hosted by John Lee
- Producers: Artemis Irvine and Bella Soames
- Production assistant: Sally McLennan
- Production manager: Vittoria Cecchini
- Sound design: John Scott
- Script consultant: Liam Thompson
Look for ‘From Bomb to Ballot: The Story of Sinn Féin’ wherever you get your podcasts. All episodes are now available.