On the Blanket: The Inside Story of the Ira Prisioners' "Dirty" Protest [Paperback]

Tim Pat Coogan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1997

First published in 1980, here is the account of the H-block protest, one of the most shocking and controversial situations in the tragic history of Northern Ireland. The author spoke to all sides and set down the facts of the protest squarely, as well as the human tragedy behind them. The resulting work, recorded in its entirety, is this unsparing look deep into the social, cultural and economic maze that makes up Northern Ireland's history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Court Wayne Pr Llc (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570981337
• ISBN-13: 978-1570981333
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,926,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another triumph for Tim Pat Coogan, August 25, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: On the Blanket: The Inside Story of the Ira Prisioners' "Dirty" Protest (Paperback)

This book, originally published in around 1980, is now finally available in the U.S. Once again TPC has written a masterful account of 20th century Irish history, this time of the "dirty protest" fought by IRA prisoners, who refused to allow their British oppressors classify them as common criminals. The prisoners refused to wear prison uniforms, instead choosing to remain naked except for a blanket (hence the title). And when the warders took to kicking over their chamber pots, they decided to do it for them, coating their cell walls with feces (and in the women's cases menstrual blood) and refusing to shower. Coogan provides an excellent summary of the fascist judicial system that led to such feelings of injustice among the prisoners, referred to by them as the "conveyor belt." This included the abolition of trial by jury, confessions extracted by physical and mental torture, and ignoring of the rules of evidence. This resulted in an almost 100% conviction rate, almost all of which were based solely on confessions unsupported by any physical evidence. Once inside the jail, prisoners were subjected to regular beatings and degrading strip searches. Although Coogan provides the necessary background, those unfamiliar with modern Irish history should probably read this book as a companion to his book "The Troubles," which fleshes out the entire period. Also, it would have been nice if for this reissuance of the book, Coogan had continued the story to its ultimate conclusion -- the hunger strikes that broke the will of the British authorities and established Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein as a major political force.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hard to believe, September 24, 2000

By 

john mcmahon (marcy, ny USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Blanket: The Inside Story of the Ira Prisioners' "Dirty" Protest (Paperback)

it is hard to understand how so many young men were able to choose the agony of death thru starvation. there must be something more to this problem then what is written.this is extreme decision making. they line up to die for this cause,and a horrible death it is. they think is was worth it.