In late February of 1996, a small group of Irish republican and socialist activists gathered together in a pub in Austin, Texas, to figure out what could be done to honour the 10 men who died on hunger strike in 1981, on the 15th anniversary of that pivotal event in the republican struggle.

It was decided that the utilisation of the world wide web, at that time still a relatively new medium, would assist in giving a world-wide audience to a virtual memorial in tribute to the 7 IRA and 3 INLA volunteers, and serve as a reminder of what had both been sacrificed and fought for.

In a matter of days, a pamphlet was scanned and edited, essays were written, a layout was decided upon, and by 1 March 1996, the 15th anniversary of the start of the 1981 hunger strikes, the first hunger strike website was born.

We are honoured by the support we've received over the years, and it is a fitting tribute to these 10 brave men (and their comrades who also went on strike in 1980 and 1981) that the number of websites honouring these man has grown.

We have provided links to those that we are aware of, but we may have missed some of your favourites. If you know of any in particular that we may have missed, please let us know and we will be glad to link to it.

Thank you for making this website a success over the years, but more importantly, thank you for honouring the memory and spirit of the 10 who died and the countless others who protested in and out of Long Kesh, Maghaberry, and other gaols North, South, and in England.

As Patsy O'Hara said before he died on strike, "Let the fight go on!" -- and indeed it shall, even as criminalisation is re-introduced and republicans and republican socialists are once again denied political status.

Comments, suggestions, critiques, ideas? Email us at ehp@hungerstrikes.org.