| A conference to mark the 30th Anniversary of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike Hosted by Sinn Féin Saturday 18 June 1pm–5.30pm London Irish Centre 50–52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB Speakers include: • Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane leader of republican political prisoners, Long Kesh, during the hunger strikes • Jennifer McCann MLA Sinn Féin Assembly member and former republican prisoner Armagh Women’s gaol • Bairbre de Brun MEP Sinn Féin, former member National Anti-H Block/Armagh Committee • Tony Benn • Dr Kevin McNamara • Ronnie Kasrils ANC Minister in Nelson Mandela’s government and leading figure in struggle against apartheid • Francis Wurtz former MEP France, present at Bobby Sands’ funeral • Roy Greenslade writer and journalist • Prof Christine Kinealy historian Sessions include: • The impact of the hunger strike – an event which shaped history • How 1981 shook the world • The future: legacy and lessons for today’s political process “The hunger strike shaped the course of history” The 30th Anniversary of the 1981 Hunger Strike, in which ten men died in the struggle for political status, shone an international spotlight on the conflict in Ireland and irreversibly shaped the political developments for decades to come. “The hunger strike shaped the course of Irish politics. Bobby Sands’ election in Fermanagh South Tyrone in the Westminster election of April 1981, and of Kieran Doherty in Cavan Monaghan and Paddy Agnew in Louth in the June 1981 general election in the south, were watershed moments. “It has needed the intervening decades to understand the extent to which the courage and sacrifice of the ten men who died on hunger strike changed modern Irish history.” — GERRY ADAMS TD, President Sinn Féin This year, as part of events to mark this watershed moment in Ireland, Britain and more widely around the world, Sinn Féin will host a conference in London to discuss the legacy of the hunger strike and lessons for today. With leading figures from Ireland and internationally, including those involved in the struggle at the time, former prisoners, political activists, writers and documentors of events, the conference will be a key opportunity to look at this critical moment in history, mark developments in the intervening three decades and draw lessons and inspiration for today. As the current political process in the north moves forward, alongside the continuing debate around Irish unity, the conference comes at an important juncture, as the relationship between Britain and Ireland enters a new phase. REGISTRATION: £5 waged £3 unwaged (payable to ‘1981 June Conference’) POST: PO Box 65845, London EC1P 1LS EMAIL: london1981conference@yahoo.com STALLS available (£20) Find us on Facebook |