On the Blanket: The Inside Story of the IRA Prisoners' "Dirty" Protest [Paperback]

Tim Pat Coogan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312295138 | ISBN-13: 978-0312295134 | Publication Date: August 17, 2002 | Edition: 1

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"From the very first sentence, it grips as it horrifies. One would have to be extremely insensitive or extremely prejudiced to fail to be moved by it." --The Irish Times

"A must for anyone interested in the contemporary history of Anglo-Irish relations." --Sean MacBride, Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; 1 edition (August 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312295138
• ISBN-13: 978-0312295134
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #848,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unflinching Journal of the IRA's "Dirty Protest", November 19, 2002

By 

Paul J. Ditz (Shelby, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Blanket (Paperback)

Published just prior to the hunger strikes of 1981 which claimed the life of ten IRA prisoners, "On The Blanket" details the so-called "dirty protest" that led up to the horrors of that year. With several first-hand accounts from prisoners and actors in the struggle, Coogan presents an unflinching account of the events in Long Kesh (the Maze) and Armagh prisons. The descriptions of the conditions in both prisons will move even the most cold-hearted reader. Coogan puts forth an important work that will stand as testiment to this troubled period in Irish history.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU BELEVE IN, December 25, 2002

By 

T. A Kelley "kelleyt" (pueblo, colorado United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE DIRTY PROTEST BY THE IRA PRISONERS IN H BLOCK OF THE MAZE PRISON ONE OF THE PRISONERS WAS BOBBY SANDS. WHETEHER YOU AGREE WITH THE IRA OR NOT IT IS A TRAGIC INCIDENT AND SHOWS THE WILL AND DRIVE OF THESE 10 MEN AND ALL THERE SUPPORTERS AND THERE STANDING FOR THE THINGS THEY TRULY BELIEVE IN ESPECIAALY IN SUCH DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS. SOME BOOKS ABOUT THE TROUBLES ARE A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO GET THROUGH BUT THIS WAS A PRETTY GOOD BOOK

4.0 out of 5 stars IRA @ Long Kesch, June 21, 2010

By 

J. Graham "johnny reb" (georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

Finally ............ a detailed account of the IRA in prison during the ' Dirty ' protest prior to the fatal hunger strikes !!! What would it take for the English to listen ????? .......... and the ' troubles ' continue to this day .