Richard O'Rawe

Richard O'Rawe is a Northern Irish author and former IRA prisoner who served time in the Maze Prison during the 1981 hunger strike, one of the most significant and contentious episodes of the Troubles. He was the public relations officer for the republican prisoners during the hunger strike, giving him a unique and controversial insider's perspective on events. Blanketmen is his account of the blanket protest and the hunger strike, drawing on his firsthand experience to tell a story that challenges some of the accepted narratives about how the crisis unfolded and how it was managed by the republican leadership. The book is both a personal memoir and a historical document that has provoked significant debate. Available as both a book and an audiobook, Blanketmen offers powerful and important listening and reading for anyone interested in the Troubles, the hunger strikes and the human cost of political conflict.