Joseph (Joe) McDonnell 14 September 1951 - 8 July 1981
Joe McDonnell was born on Slate Street in the lower Falls Road of Belfast, and was one of 10 children. He went to a Roman Catholic school which was nearby. In 1970, he married Goretti, and moved into her sister's house in Lenadoon. There were only two Catholic houses in this predominantly Protestant housing estate, and the house was attacked on numerous occasions.
McDonnell was arrested in Operation Demetrius and interned on the prison ship HMS Maidstone along with Gerry Adams and others. He was later moved to HMP Maze for several months. Upon release he joined the Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade. McDonnell met Bobby Sands in the run up to an IRA firebomb attack on the Balmoral Furnishing Company. During the ensuing shoot-out between the IRA and the police and British Army, both men along with Séamas Finucane and Seán Lavery were arrested. McDonnell and the other men were sentenced to 14 years in prison for possession of a firearm. None of the men accepted the jurisdiction of the court.
McDonnell agreed with the goals of the 1981 Irish hunger strike, namely: the right not to wear a prison uniform; the right not to do prison work; the right of free association with other prisoners; the right to organize their own educational and recreational facilities and the right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week. He doubted, however, the need to go on hunger strike, believing that a campaign of disobedience would achieve the objective.
Although McDonnell was not involved in the first (1980) hunger strike, he joined Bobby Sands and the others in the second (1981) hunger strike. During the strike he fought the general election in the Republic of Ireland, and only narrowly missed election to the Sligo-Leitrim constituency.
He went 61 days without food before dying on 8 July 1981. He had two children. His wife Goretti took an active part in the campaign in support of the hunger strikers.
McDonnell was buried in the grave next to Bobby Sands at Milltown Cemetery. John Joe McGirl, McDonnell's election agent in Sligo-Leitrim, gave the oration at his funeral. Quoting Patrick Pearse, he stated "He may seem the fool who has given his all, by the wise men of the world; but it was the apparent fools who changed the course of Irish history".
JOE MCDONNELL
O' my name is Joe McDonnell From Belfast town I came
That city I will never see again
For in that town of Belfast I spent many happy days
I love that town in oh so many ways.
For it's there I spent my childhood and found for me a wife
And set out to make for her a life.
But all my young ambitions met with bitterness and hate
I soon found myself inside a prison gate.
Cho: And so you call me a terrorist
While you look down your gun
When I think of all the deeds that you have done,
You have plundered many nations
Divided many lands
You have terrorized their people
You ruled with an iron hand.
And you brought this reign of terror to my land.
Though those many months internment in the and the Maze
I thought about my land though out those days
Why my country was divided
Why I was now in jail
Imprisoned without cause or without trial.
And although I love my country
I am not a bitter man
I have seen cruelty and injustice first hand.
Then one fateful morning I shook bold freedom's hand
For right or wrong I tried to free my land.
May God shine on you Bobby Sands for the courage you have shown
May your glory and your fame be widely known.
And Francis Hughs and Ray McCreesh you died unselfishly
And Patsy O'Hara and next in line is me
And all who lie behind me may your courage be the same
And I pray to God my life is not in vain.
Oh but sad and bitter was the year of 1981
For everything I lost and nothing won.
McDonnell was arrested in Operation Demetrius and interned on the prison ship HMS Maidstone along with Gerry Adams and others. He was later moved to HMP Maze for several months. Upon release he joined the Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade. McDonnell met Bobby Sands in the run up to an IRA firebomb attack on the Balmoral Furnishing Company. During the ensuing shoot-out between the IRA and the police and British Army, both men along with Séamas Finucane and Seán Lavery were arrested. McDonnell and the other men were sentenced to 14 years in prison for possession of a firearm. None of the men accepted the jurisdiction of the court.
McDonnell agreed with the goals of the 1981 Irish hunger strike, namely: the right not to wear a prison uniform; the right not to do prison work; the right of free association with other prisoners; the right to organize their own educational and recreational facilities and the right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week. He doubted, however, the need to go on hunger strike, believing that a campaign of disobedience would achieve the objective.
Although McDonnell was not involved in the first (1980) hunger strike, he joined Bobby Sands and the others in the second (1981) hunger strike. During the strike he fought the general election in the Republic of Ireland, and only narrowly missed election to the Sligo-Leitrim constituency.
He went 61 days without food before dying on 8 July 1981. He had two children. His wife Goretti took an active part in the campaign in support of the hunger strikers.
McDonnell was buried in the grave next to Bobby Sands at Milltown Cemetery. John Joe McGirl, McDonnell's election agent in Sligo-Leitrim, gave the oration at his funeral. Quoting Patrick Pearse, he stated "He may seem the fool who has given his all, by the wise men of the world; but it was the apparent fools who changed the course of Irish history".
JOE MCDONNELL
O' my name is Joe McDonnell From Belfast town I came
That city I will never see again
For in that town of Belfast I spent many happy days
I love that town in oh so many ways.
For it's there I spent my childhood and found for me a wife
And set out to make for her a life.
But all my young ambitions met with bitterness and hate
I soon found myself inside a prison gate.
Cho: And so you call me a terrorist
While you look down your gun
When I think of all the deeds that you have done,
You have plundered many nations
Divided many lands
You have terrorized their people
You ruled with an iron hand.
And you brought this reign of terror to my land.
Though those many months internment in the and the Maze
I thought about my land though out those days
Why my country was divided
Why I was now in jail
Imprisoned without cause or without trial.
And although I love my country
I am not a bitter man
I have seen cruelty and injustice first hand.
Then one fateful morning I shook bold freedom's hand
For right or wrong I tried to free my land.
May God shine on you Bobby Sands for the courage you have shown
May your glory and your fame be widely known.
And Francis Hughs and Ray McCreesh you died unselfishly
And Patsy O'Hara and next in line is me
And all who lie behind me may your courage be the same
And I pray to God my life is not in vain.
Oh but sad and bitter was the year of 1981
For everything I lost and nothing won.