Richard O’Rawe

Richard O’Rawe is a former IRA operative who was imprisoned for six years—first for bank robbery, and later for political activity—in the Long Kesh penitentiary. During the 1981 hunger strike, which resulted in the death of 10 prisoners, O’Rawe was the IRA’s press officer for the prisoners. He later wrote a bestselling book about the experience, Blanketmen: An Untold Story of the H-Block Hunger Strike. He also wrote two other books inspired by his experiences in the IRA, Afterlives & In the Name of the Son: The Gerry Conlon Story. O’Rawe lives in Belfast, Ireland.