Tipperary TD Deputy Martin Browne will be the main speaker at hunger strike commemoration ceremony

The Tipperary Sinn Féin 40th Year Hunger Strike Commemoration will take place on Sunday October 3 in Thurles Town. Assembly at 2.30pm at Loughnagalla Cross near the Water tower. The speaker on the day will be Martin Browne T.D. who is the first Sinn Fein TD in Tipperary for almost 100 years.

This event will honour the 40th anniversary of the hunger strikers who gave their lives for the ongoing fight for Irish freedom.

The Hunger Strikes of 1981 was a watershed in the long struggle for Irish freedom and a seminal moment in Irish history. Imprisoned in Long Kesh in tiny cells the hunger strikers refused to be treated as regular prisoners and sought political status. These men were motivated by a belief in an equal and united Ireland, free from foreign oppression. They strived for a country united not just in territory but in the togetherness and fellowship of its people.

Much like Thomas Ashe, Terence MacSwiney, Micheal Gaughan and Frank Stagg who went before them, the Hunger Strikers of 1981 were change-makers. Their defiant stand drew the eyes of the world to the brutal injustices of Britain's occupation of Ireland.

The dream of the 1981 Hunger Strikers burns brightly today as republicans continue to work to bring about the Ireland for which they gave their lives. In these times of great challenge, it is more important than ever that we remember our patriot dead.

All are welcome to attend this commemorative event.