Ireland's OWN: Hungerstrikes

Ireland's OWN: Hungerstrikes

Kierán Doherty
—by Míchealín Dhochartaigh

Kierán Gerard Doherty was born on 16 October 1955 in Belfast’s Andersonstown. His parents were staunch republicans — his mother Margaret having converted from Protestantism to Catholicism. He had 2 brother and 2 sisters. He grew up under ordinary schooling and then worked as a heating engineer and later as a floor tiler, the profession of his father Alfie.

Kierán, who was 6 feet 2, was called ‘Big Doc’. He joined the IRA in 1971. He was interned and arrested several times on minor offences. Then, in 1978, after spending 17 months on remand, he was sentenced to 22 years for being an occupant in a van containing explosives.¹

Immediately upon entering Long Kesh, Kierán Doherty went on blanket protest. Inside the Kesh, Kierán was an avid soldier — intolerant of signs of weakness shown by members of the Movement such signing statements, recognising the courts and breaking under interrogation. He was on the first hunger strike, and then went again on hunger strike in May 1981, following the deaths of Patsy O Hara and Ray Mc Creesh.

After 70 days on hunger strike, his mother, Margaret, showed Kierán a photograph of the Republican plot at Milltown Cemetery. Although his eyesight was nearly gone, he said it was beautiful — five days later he would be buried there.

As his conditioned worsened, the family and his girlfriend Geraldine Scheiss, began a bedside vigil. Kierán began to drift in and out of consciousness, hallucinating at times. Then in a delirium, on 1st August, Kierán asked for a vitamin tablet (which would have signalled he was off the strike). He then asked for tea and something to eat. But by the time the decisions were made, Kierán was in a coma, and died several hours later.

Within an hour of Kierán’s death, the IRA launched an attack on an army Saracen in the Falls Road. Flags were flown at half mast all over Dublin (because Kierán was a TD).²

¹Upon being cornered by the RUC, three occupants of the van fled and took a hostage in a nearby home. They were later cajoled by a priest to surrender. Kierán, however, had left the scene and was spotted later by another patrol. He was charged with: ‘being a known IRA suspect’.

²On 11 June, nine prisoners stood in the Southern general election. Kierán Doherty was elected for the Cavan/Monaghan constituencies