Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.