By Kayla Whalen
Brendan Hughes was a leading member of the IRA after he joined in 1969, typically being in charge of (or at least participating) in some of the more risky affairs such as bank robberies and attacks on British informers. He was one of the organizers of the IRA’s biggest bombing attack in Belfast, which became known as Bloody Friday. He constantly chose to do what he deemed best for Ireland and did whatever the IRA asked of him, even when it meant leaving his wife and kids behind and facing starvation or murder. He was known to have said that “You would have robbed a bank in the morning, done a float in the afternoon, stuck a bomb and a booby trap out after that, and then maybe had a gun battle or two later that night”(The Guardian). He was imprisoned at Long Kesh with Gerry Adams, whom he once saw as a good friend in the early days of the peace process. He starved himself for fifty-three days, until he could make a deal with Britain’s new Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. The violence he commanded and committed, along with the physical harm he experienced, all contributed to this sense of disbelonging and separation from society. He was never the same after his days in the IRA. His failed friendship with Adams also contributed to this feeling, as Adams pretended to have no involvement and disregarded his IRA comrades after getting involved in Sinn Fein.
By Anthony McIntyre, otherwise known as “Mackers,” interviewing Hughes in 2001, it shows a disconnect from the past that is finally being mended. Hughes finally was able to tell his story after years of silence, and with a promise from the Boston College Project that these tapes would not be released until Hughes death, he had the protection from the law that would be needed in a case like this. Although when the interview was happening Hughes was seen as a war hero by many, with murals dedicated to him around the city, he felt as though he was living in a cell (Keefe, 277). Through the interviews we can see what he thought about all the recent changes in Ireland after his time in the IRA. Due to this, we can see that his bleak outlook was attributed to the Good Friday Agreement which gave a win to the British in Hughes eyes. By allowing the British to stay in Ireland, he felt as though everything he did to free Ireland was for nothing. This interview is a monumental moment in the history of Ireland, as it allows us to get an inside look at what life was like for a prominent IRA member. It also gave the person responsible for the murder of Jean McConville. In the tapes, which were not released until 2008, Hughes names Gerry Adams as responsible for McConville’s murder which happened over three decades earlier (BBC News). Although Adams denied this accusation, Hughes’ claim seems legitimate as he knew this knowledge would not be public until after his death, meaning he had nothing to gain by exposing this information.
Hughes was not the only person to feel this sense of failure and have a negative outlook on the world. Many of those in the IRA, and even other cases like those in war or those who became refugees, have this letdown after an intense period of violence and fighting. There was a large society of people in Ireland happy to accept peace in any form it came in, but another group that was stuck in a sort of limbo, no longer fighting but unhappy with the turnout in the end even if it meant no longer living in fear. Reconciliation is never easy in any form, although necessary, and can leave confusion and longing in the very people who fought for a better future. Hughes, among the others, longed for a different ending than the one received. However, the Good Friday Agreement was not a bad pact to make as many had lost their lives to get to a time when violence would not be seen as necessary. People like Hughes who are left wanting more will always be a side effect or casualty of reconciliation, and with hindsight we can see that there may not have been a better option.
References:
McHardy, Anne. (2008, February 18). “Brendan Hughes: IRA Commander In Belfast and Leader of the H-Block ‘Dirty Protests’ of the 1970s.” The Guardian. Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/feb/19/northernireland
Farrelly, Patrick. “Voices From The Grave, Pt2,” Vimeo (2015, April 11th). Accessed December 8th, 2020. https://www.bing.com/videos/searchq=Voices+From+the+Grave+Brendan+Hughes
BBC News: “McConville Murder: Brendan Hughes’ Taped Accusation.” (May 1, 2014). Accessed November 22, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-27239260
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A Reader's Guide to Say Nothing 
