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On the Blanket
The H Block protest is one of the strangest and most controversial issues in the tragic history of Northern Ireland. Republican prisoners, convicted of grave crimes through special courts and ruthless interrogation procedures, campaigned for political status by refusing to wear prison clothes and daubing their cell with excrement.Were they properly convicted criminals, or martyrs to political injustice? In a masterpiece of investigative journalism, Coogan provides us with the only first-hand account of the protest. His investigation led deep into the social, cultural, and economic maze of Northern Ireland's history to give readers an unmatched analysis of a troubled place and its sorrowful history.
271 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
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About the author
Tim Pat Coogan
50 books243 followersTimothy Patrick Coogan is an Irish historical writer, broadcaster and newspaper columnist. He served as editor of the Irish Press newspaper from 1968 to 1987. Today, he is best known for his popular and sometimes controversial books on aspects of modern Irish history, including The IRA, Ireland Since the Rising, On the Blanket, and biographies of Michael Collins and Éamon de Valera.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 14, 2009
The true story of the appalling conditions at Long Kesh prison in Belfast. And the Irish prisoners who died while protesting with a hunger strike in 1981. They requested 5 things:
1 The right not to wear a prison uniform;
2 The right not to do prison work;
3 The right of free association with other prisoners, and to organize educational and recreational pursuits;
4 The right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week;
5 Full restoration of remission lost through the protest.
Margaret Thatcher decided that she would let them die before granting these requests.
The 10 men that died in the protest: Bobby Sands, Francis Hughes, Ray McCreesh, Patsy O'Hara, Joe McDonnell, Martin Hurson, Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Thomas McElwee, Michael Devine.
1 The right not to wear a prison uniform;
2 The right not to do prison work;
3 The right of free association with other prisoners, and to organize educational and recreational pursuits;
4 The right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week;
5 Full restoration of remission lost through the protest.
Margaret Thatcher decided that she would let them die before granting these requests.
The 10 men that died in the protest: Bobby Sands, Francis Hughes, Ray McCreesh, Patsy O'Hara, Joe McDonnell, Martin Hurson, Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Thomas McElwee, Michael Devine.
June 15, 2013
Tim Pat Coogan is the definitive Historian of modern Irish history and the conflict between Unionists and Nationalists. And there is no more knowledgeable expert on the Irish Republican Army. In this book on the 1981 Irish Hunger Strikers, Coogan begins with the conditions that led up to the 'dirty protest' and does a great job of describing the political battle over determining whether or not to go on hunger strike. In the end, it was the will of one man, Bobby Sands, pitted against the will of one woman, Margaret Thatcher, and I would argue that it is Sands who ultimately wins the battle. His election to British Parliament and ultimately his dignified death in Long Kesh with the resulting publicity was a watershed event in Irish nationalist politics which enabled the IRA and Sinn Fein to sustain enough popular support at the end of the 20th century to have the leverage entering in peace talks. Without Sands and the other nine hunger strikers, the IRA and Sinn Fein do not survive into the 21st century. Coogan does a great job of weaving through all sides of the conflict as the drama played out. There are other books on the hunger strikers that present the human side of this event, but none present the breadth depth of knowledge like Coogan can.
May 29, 2022
I read this years ago, when it first came out. As I recall, it’s really good.
October 11, 2023
Important quotes (to me):
"The faces have changed but the same type of arguments are made still. The spin doctors spin. The PR machine grinds on. Voices are not raised. Nomenclature is sanitised. Sophistries are uttered - but nothing is done. And so the young men go out to die, or take life, and the innocent are caught in the cross-fire."
"...Northern Ireland...spent £80 million a year in unemployment benefits(1978-9), had the lowest industrial earnings in the United Kingdom, the highest rate of emigration, double the UK prison population per thousand, the poorest housing standards, highest rate of infant mortality and lowest life expectancy, male or female, in the UK. On top of this were the hardest hit areas were the Catholic ones."
"He refused to wear the prison clothes and embarked on the now familiar routine of surviving on a concrete floor from 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM each day with no mattress, bed or reading material. His Bible was removed after a period and the diet deteriorated from the commencement of the protest. The only furniture in his cell was a chamber pot. With the benefit of hindsight it is obvious how symbolically and psychologically this article of furniture would take on a significace of its own as matters progressed."
"The initial slopping of faeces and urine in the cells was not done by the prisoners but by the warders. The routines was that a trolley came around with the food for the prisoners' meals, followed by another one for their slops. The routine was food in, slops out. But the prisoners claimed that what happened was that the warders started returning the blanket men's pots half full, sometimes kicking them over the floors. So this, say the protesters, is why it became necessary to throw the faeces out of the window in the first place. Later it was daubed on the walls to get it off the floors where the men slept..."
"The British tried to minimise the situation using diplomatic niceties to cloak the situation."
"The fact that a man refuses to wear prison uniform or to do prison work should not entail the loss of physical exercise, association with his fellow prisoners or contact with the outside world. These are basic human needs for physical and mental health, not privileges to be granted or withheld as rewards or punishments."
"...It is evident that they intend to continue their protest indefinitely and it seems they prefer to face death rather than submit to being classed as criminals. Anyone with the least knowledge of Irish history knows how deeply rooted this attitude is in [the] country's past."
"However, though the Church leaders like to say that the struggle is not religious, because of its embarrassment to them, religion at least in its cultural conditioning is a vital determinant. Much more so than "Loyalist" or "Nationalist." "
"The faces have changed but the same type of arguments are made still. The spin doctors spin. The PR machine grinds on. Voices are not raised. Nomenclature is sanitised. Sophistries are uttered - but nothing is done. And so the young men go out to die, or take life, and the innocent are caught in the cross-fire."
"...Northern Ireland...spent £80 million a year in unemployment benefits(1978-9), had the lowest industrial earnings in the United Kingdom, the highest rate of emigration, double the UK prison population per thousand, the poorest housing standards, highest rate of infant mortality and lowest life expectancy, male or female, in the UK. On top of this were the hardest hit areas were the Catholic ones."
"He refused to wear the prison clothes and embarked on the now familiar routine of surviving on a concrete floor from 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM each day with no mattress, bed or reading material. His Bible was removed after a period and the diet deteriorated from the commencement of the protest. The only furniture in his cell was a chamber pot. With the benefit of hindsight it is obvious how symbolically and psychologically this article of furniture would take on a significace of its own as matters progressed."
"The initial slopping of faeces and urine in the cells was not done by the prisoners but by the warders. The routines was that a trolley came around with the food for the prisoners' meals, followed by another one for their slops. The routine was food in, slops out. But the prisoners claimed that what happened was that the warders started returning the blanket men's pots half full, sometimes kicking them over the floors. So this, say the protesters, is why it became necessary to throw the faeces out of the window in the first place. Later it was daubed on the walls to get it off the floors where the men slept..."
"The British tried to minimise the situation using diplomatic niceties to cloak the situation."
"The fact that a man refuses to wear prison uniform or to do prison work should not entail the loss of physical exercise, association with his fellow prisoners or contact with the outside world. These are basic human needs for physical and mental health, not privileges to be granted or withheld as rewards or punishments."
"...It is evident that they intend to continue their protest indefinitely and it seems they prefer to face death rather than submit to being classed as criminals. Anyone with the least knowledge of Irish history knows how deeply rooted this attitude is in [the] country's past."
"However, though the Church leaders like to say that the struggle is not religious, because of its embarrassment to them, religion at least in its cultural conditioning is a vital determinant. Much more so than "Loyalist" or "Nationalist." "
December 3, 2022
A galling account of the titular 'On the Blanket' protest which was thrust onto those prisoners and which grew in fame. Not an easy book to read, due to the content matter, and at times, Coogan's emotions are noticeably raised. How could one blame him?
This book is not written as anti-British propaganda; the polemic writes itself from the way both male and female prisoners on the blanket were harrowingly treated by the guards at the jail. Beatings, torture, malnourishment, and cruelty.
I came to this book with a mixed view of those who had carried out these blanket protests. After reading this book, I know now that they had no choice - the British administration forced them into their Dirty Protests but the press turned it around on the incarcerated.
A worthwhile story to read, but troubling. If you're British, you may feel shame. If you're Irish, you'll undoubtedly feel shame. But also a great, stirring pride at what these men and women did for our country, in its long fight for freedom. 🇮🇪
This book is not written as anti-British propaganda; the polemic writes itself from the way both male and female prisoners on the blanket were harrowingly treated by the guards at the jail. Beatings, torture, malnourishment, and cruelty.
I came to this book with a mixed view of those who had carried out these blanket protests. After reading this book, I know now that they had no choice - the British administration forced them into their Dirty Protests but the press turned it around on the incarcerated.
A worthwhile story to read, but troubling. If you're British, you may feel shame. If you're Irish, you'll undoubtedly feel shame. But also a great, stirring pride at what these men and women did for our country, in its long fight for freedom. 🇮🇪
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2022
One side of the prison story!
Coogan has researched and written about a very tumultuous time in Northern Ireland. In doing so, he has clearly expressed where his political persuasion leans.
Coogan has researched and written about a very tumultuous time in Northern Ireland. In doing so, he has clearly expressed where his political persuasion leans.
April 23, 2018
It all happened too long ago.. I found it a bit boring
March 23, 2017
dated (not the fault of the book). One sided (but I knew that). Sexist (of the era?). Not especially well written (a surprise).
February 3, 2013
A very good investigative report by the author. While he doesn't delve into a deep sociological study of the Nationalist and Unionist populations in Northern Ireland (as this is an investigative piece) he does a decent job in interviewing the prisoners (both Nationalist and Unionist), their families, the guards, and civil servants and unobtrusively lets them deliver their views with a little bit of historical background to add context. Some of the best reporting in the book (beyond the conditions of the dirty protesters) is the lead up to the protest in where the British authorities used mechanisms that funneled Irish Catholic youths from the streets, to rigged courts, and into the prison system.
February 12, 2008
Good book. Found out about it through a song. Very in-depth portrayal of the Irish prison system in the North during the troubles. If you want to know what people are capable of doing to each other (and what they are willing to withstand) no matter what you believe, this book will open your eyes.
April 25, 2007
I loved the chapter about the women's prisons. If you want to learn more about the Irish Conflict I strongly suggest you read this book. It's slightly bias in its writing but still good.
April 15, 2013
Historic insight into the 'troubles' by an extremely well informed contemporary investigative journalist.
April 10, 2017
A very important read for those who follow Ireland's history. Maybe one day North and South will reunite, perhaps one day soon....
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews