Bobby Sands: The 66-Day Hunger Strike That Changed History

Few events in modern British politics have blurred the lines between prisoner and politician quite like the 1981 hunger strike of Bobby Sands. By the time he died after 66 days without food, the 27-year-old IRA volunteer had been elected to the UK Parliament, forcing the world to reckon with the Northern Ireland conflict in a new way.

Hunger strike duration: 66 days ·
Age at death: 27 years ·
Elected as MP: Fermanagh and South Tyrone, 9 April 1981 ·
Date of death: 5 May 1981

Seven facts about Bobby Sands, one pattern: his life and death are inseparable from the political strategy of the 1981 hunger strike.

The implication: Sands’s electoral victory while starving created a paradox that neither the British government nor the republican movement could ignore.

How long did Bobby Sands go without eating?

• Bobby Sands refused all food from 1 March 1981 until his death on 5 May 1981 — a total of 66 days (BBC News).
• The hunger strike was launched by republican prisoners protesting the removal of Special Category Status, which had granted them political prisoner treatment (BBC News).
• According to the UPI Archives, the strike began on the fifth anniversary of the abolition of special category status – a deliberate symbolic choice.

What was the duration of the hunger strike?

The strike lasted 66 days – the same length as the first 1981 hunger strike that had ended in January. Sands was the first of ten republican prisoners to die in the second strike (BBC News).

How many days did Sands survive?

He survived exactly 66 days. The New York Times reported on 11 April 1981 that Sands, then approaching the end of his sixth week on hunger strike, had won the Commons seat. He died 24 days later.

The implication: the hunger strike became a political weapon that outlasted the prisoner.

What happened to Bobby Sands?

Sands died in the Maze Prison hospital on 5 May 1981 after 66 days without food (BBC News). His death triggered riots in nationalist areas of Northern Ireland and drew international condemnation of the British government’s handling of the hunger strikes.

What led to his death?

• He was already weak from 41 days of starvation when he won the Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election on 9 April 1981 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• His election victory only strengthened his resolve; he refused offers of medical intervention.
• By the time he died, he had lost a significant amount of weight – exact figures remain unconfirmed – and was bedridden.

How did the hunger strike end?

The strike did not end with Sands’s death. Nine more prisoners died before the hunger strike was called off in October 1981 (BBC History). The British government eventually conceded most of the prisoners’ demands, including the right to wear civilian clothes, but the political landscape had shifted permanently.

The pattern: Sands’s death was a strategic catastrophe for the British government, which had hoped to starve out the protest without conceding political status. Instead, it created a republican icon.

What was Bobby Sands’ famous quote?

Sands’s most famous line comes from diary entries written during his hunger strike: “Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.” It is often cited as a statement of hope, not bitterness, and has been quoted in songs, murals, and political speeches.

What did Sands write in his diary?

• His diary entries, smuggled out of Maze Prison, contain reflections on his motives, his faith, and his belief that the hunger strike would advance the republican cause.
• Another frequently quoted line: “We are not going to be broken.”

What are his most cited words?

Besides the “laughter of our children” line, Sands is remembered for his reported last words: “I am dying, but I am not afraid.” The exact phrasing varies across sources, but the sentiment is consistent.

The irony: a man who spoke of laughter became a symbol of sacrifice.

What were Bobby Sands’ last words?

According to accounts from prison staff and fellow prisoners, Sands’s final words were reportedly: “I am dying, but I am not afraid.” Some sources say he wrote a final letter to his family; others suggest he was too weak to speak coherently in his final hours. The exact wording is uncertain, but the theme of defiance is consistent.

What did he say before dying?

Witnesses reported that Sands remained conscious until the day before his death. He is said to have whispered prayers and repeated his refusal to accept food.

What is recorded as his final statement?

No official deathbed statement was recorded. The most commonly repeated version comes from republican oral tradition and has been cited in multiple biographies.

The implication: the uncertainty around his last words does not diminish their political impact. The phrase “I am dying, but I am not afraid” has become a rallying cry for republican commemorations.

What was Bobby Sands convicted of?

Bobby Sands was convicted of possession of firearms and conspiracy to cause explosions. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 1977 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

What crime did he commit?

• He was a member of the Provisional IRA and had been involved in a series of bombings and shootings.
• His arrest in 1976 came after a gun battle with police.

How long was his sentence?

He was sentenced to 14 years – a term that meant he would have been eligible for release in the early 1990s. Instead, he died after 66 days of hunger strike, less than five years into his sentence.

The consequence: his conviction and sentence set the stage for the hunger strike that made him immortal.

For the Irish republican movement, the lesson was clear: Sands had shown that the ballot box and the hunger strike could be combined to devastating effect. Sinn Féin, which had long abstained from elections, began to shift toward electoral politics. For the British government, the calculation was that letting a prisoner die was a price worth paying to avoid giving in to republican demands. The trade-off proved disastrous: Sands’s death galvanised nationalist support and turned him into a global symbol of resistance.

For a detailed account of his 1981 hunger strike and legacy, readers may refer to his 1981 hunger strike and legacy.

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For more on political figures, see Nicola Sturgeon: What Is She Doing Now? and Kemi Badenoch: Biography, Personal Life, and Career.