Search

22 Oct 2025

Drumkeerin to remember hunger striker Joe McDonnell

44th Anniversary marked with Sinn Féin commemoration and talk by former blanket protest prisoner

Drumkeerin to remember hunger striker Joe McDonnell

Joe McDonnell, who was on hunger strike for 61 days before his death on July 8 1981.

Leitrim Sinn Féin will host a special commemoration in Drumkeerin on Saturday, July 12, to honour Joe McDonnell, the fifth republican to die during the 1981 Hunger Strike in Long Kesh.

The event, which marks the 44th anniversary of McDonnell’s death, will begin at 7.30pm in Drumkeerin. McDonnell, a native of Belfast, famously stood as a political prisoner candidate in the Sligo–Leitrim constituency during the 1981 general election, receiving 5,639 votes and narrowly missing out on a seat by just 315 votes.

Seán MacBrádaigh of Leitrim Sinn Féin said the commemoration is a chance to remember the sacrifice and legacy of a man who “stood firm in the face of brutal oppression.”

“Joe McDonnell gave his life in the struggle for political status and Irish freedom,” MacBrádaigh said. “His courage, along with that of his comrades, inspired generations, and his connection to the Sligo–Leitrim area remains a source of pride.”

Following the outdoor ceremony, a public talk will take place at 8.30pm in Forde’s Inn featuring guest speaker Eoghan ‘Gino’ Mac Cormaic, a former political prisoner and close friend of McDonnell. Mac Cormaic spent 17 years in prison, including five on the Blanket Protest, and has written extensively about life inside the H-Blocks.

He is the author of On the Blanket – an A to Z of Prison Resistance and Pluid – Scéal na mBlocanna H, acclaimed books detailing prison resistance in both English and Irish.

The public is warmly invited to attend both the commemoration and the talk. 

READ MORE Court bans Leitrim pensioner from driving

To continue reading this article,
please subscribe and support local journalism!


Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.

Subscribe

To continue reading this article for FREE,
please kindly register and/or log in.


Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!

Register / Login

Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.

Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.