Republicans gather for unveiling of Bobby Sands statue in west Belfast

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/republicans-gather-for-unveiling-of-bobby-sands-statue-in-twinbrook-LQ2AYABUINHDXINVGGZSJ7UIPI/

First Minister Michelle O’Neill and former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams were among those who attended the unveiling of a statue of hunger striker Bobby Sands

Bobby Sands ought to be remembered not just as a hunger striker but as a “multi-faceted” person who was a “loving father” with a passion for music, poetry and the Irish language, those attending the unveiling of statue of the one-time MP have heard.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill, former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams and other senior republicans were among the crowd that gathered at Sunday’s event in Twinbrook on the outskirts of west Belfast.

The unveiling of the statue came on the eve of the 44th anniversary of 27-year-old Sands’ death in the Maze prison hospital on May 5 1981, after 66 days on hunger strike.

A month before his death, he won the Fermanagh-South Tyrone Westminster seat in a by-election triggered by the sudden death of sitting independent republican Frank Maguire.

The near life-size statue on a raised plinth at the republican memorial garden on Gardenmore Road is the first of the IRA hunger striker and based on a photograph of him aged 22, carrying a flag during a republican parade prior to his arrest in 1976.

Designed by artist Packy Adams, the cost of the statue was covered by fundraising efforts on behalf of the Bobby Sands Committee.

Sinn Féin MLA and former hunger striker Pat Sheehan said more than four decades after his death in the H Blocks, “Bobby Sands’ name lives on”.

“When all of us standing here today are dead and gone and largely forgotten about Bobby Sands will still be remembered,” the West Belfast representative said.

He will remain a beacon of light for freedom loving people everywhere.”

He said his fellow inmate “should not be remembered as a hunger striker only

Like all of us he was multi-faceted,” Mr Sheehan said.

“He was the loving father of an eight-year old son. And he was also a loving son and brother. Bobby was a friend and comrade to many. He was a community activist, particularly here in Twinbrook between his two periods of imprisonment. He was a musician and a song writer, a poet and a prolific writer. He was also a Gaeilgeoir, he loved our native language. Bobby was a Blanketman, a political prisoner of war, a socialist, a leader and a revolutionary.”

Today I visited the new Bobby Sands statue in his home community of Twinbrook.

I was honoured to speak with members of the community who helped make this powerful tribute a reality.

Bobby’s life and sacrifice continues to inspire people here in Ireland and across the world in… pic.twitter.com/TKLBgS11FT

— Michelle O’Neill (@moneillsf) May 4, 2025
The first minister said she was “honoured to speak with members of the community who helped make this powerful tribute a reality”.

“Bobby’s life and sacrifice continues to inspire people here in Ireland and across the world in pursuit of freedom and justice,” she said in a post on X.

“I will continue to work to build a new and united Ireland for everyone who calls this island home.”

Bobby Sands Trust secretary Danny Morrison paid tribute to those who raised funds for the statue.

“Although it is in Bobby Sands’ name it represents the eleven other hunger strikers who died in 1981, 1976 and 1974,” he said.

“Over time the hunger strike, as symbolic of republican resistance and a turning point in history, grows in stature, never diminishes. The battle for political status was an instrumental part of the battle for Irish freedom.”