DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit „Freedom’s Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose”: Visual Representation of the 1981 Hunger Strike in Northern Ireland in the Films Some Mother’s Son and Hunger Verfasserin Tanja Ölschläger angestrebter akademischer Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag.phil.) Wien, 2011 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 343 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Anglistik und Amerikanistik Betreuer: Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Franz Wöhrer Declaration of Authenticity I confirm to have conceived and written this thesis in English all by myself. Quotations from other authors are clearly marked and acknowledged in the bibliographical references either in footnotes or within the text. Any ideas borrowed and / or passages paraphrased from the works of other authors are truthfully acknowledged and identified in the footnotes. Tanja Ölschläger Hinweis Diese Diplomarbeit hat nachgewiesen, dass die betreffende Kandidatin befähigt ist, wissenschaftliche Themen selbstständig sowie inhaltlich und methodisch vertretbar zu bearbeiten. Da die Korrekturen des Beurteilenden nicht eingetragen sind und das Gutachten nicht beiliegt, ist nicht erkenntlich, mit welcher Note diese Arbeit abgeschlossen wurde. Das Spektrum reicht von sehr gut bis genügend. Die Habilitierten des Instituts für Anglistik und Amerikanistik bitten, diesen Hinweis bei der Lektüre zu beachten. Acknowledgements First and foremost, I am deeply indebted to my advisor, Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Franz-Karl Wöhrer, for supervising my thesis and the freedom he granted me in the creative process. His encouragement, support and reassuring feedback proved to be an invaluable help during the process of writing this thesis. In addition, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my mother and my sister who have always offered me their unconditional love and support especially during the course of my studies. Moreover, I would like to thank my father, who I know has been with me every step of the way. Last but definitely not least, I would like to thank my friends. As it is impossible to name all of them I can only highlight a few. I especially want to thank Anna who has become one of my closest confidants during my university years and shared both the most inspiring and the most demanding moments with me, yet, mostly I want to thank her for her interest and enthusiasm that where still present when mine seemed to falter. I would also like to thank Sarah dearly for listening to all my queries throughout the past years and for proofreading my thesis. She has been an invaluable friend and colleague ever since I met her. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND....................................................................... 3 2.1 NORTHERN IRELAND CONFLICT ........................................................................................... 3 2.1.1 The Origins of the Conflict ....................................................................................................... 4 2.1.2 The time previous to the ‘Troubles’ ........................................................................................ 7 2.1.3 Paving the Way towards Escalation ..................................................................................... 10 2.1.4 The Aftermath of the Hunger Strike ...................................................................................... 14 2.1.5 Northern Ireland on Its Way Towards Lasting Peace ........................................................ 16 2.2 THE PROGRESS OF THE HUNGER STRIKE ( TRADITION OF SELF-IMMOLATION IN IRELAND) ..... 18 2.3 BOBBY SANDS (ROIBEARD Ó SEACHNASAIGH) ................................................................... 22 2.3.1 Early Years ............................................................................................................................... 22 2.3.2 From the First Encounters to the Engagement in the IRA ................................................ 24 2.3.3 First Prison Term ..................................................................................................................... 25 2.3.4 Failure in Trying to Lead a ‘Normal’ Life .............................................................................. 27 2.3.5 Second Prison Term in Long Kesh ....................................................................................... 28 2.3.6 The last days in Bobby Sands’s life ...................................................................................... 30 3 REPRESENTING THE NORTH .................................................................... 31 3.1 MURALS ........................................................................................................................... 31 3.1.1 Loyalist Murals ......................................................................................................................... 31 3.1.2 Republican Murals .................................................................................................................. 36 3.2 PUTTING THE ‘TROUBLES’ ON THE SCREEN ........................................................................ 42 3.2.1 The Legacy of Odd Man Out ................................................................................................. 42 3.2.2 A Cinema of Armistice – Films Previous to the Good Friday Agreement ....................... 45 3.2.3 A Comedy of Conflict? ............................................................................................................ 48 3.2.4 Romance in Times of the ‘Troubles’ ..................................................................................... 49 3.3 COMMEMORATIVE CINEMA ................................................................................................ 52 4 “SOME MOTHER’S SON“ ........................................................................... 55 4.1 PLOT SUMMARY ............................................................................................................... 55 4.2 GENERAL REMARKS AND CRITICISM .................................................................................. 57 4.3 ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................................... 59 4.3.1 The Mothers ............................................................................................................................. 59 4.3.1.1 Kathleen Quigley ............................................................................................................ 59 4.3.1.2 Annie Higgins ................................................................................................................. 62 4.3.2 The Inmates ............................................................................................................................. 64 4.3.2.1 Gerard Quigley ............................................................................................................... 64 4.3.2.2 Frank Higgins ................................................................................................................. 67 4.3.2.3 Bobby Sands .................................................................................................................. 68 4.3.3 Personal Relationships ........................................................................................................... 69 4.3.3.1 Mother and Son .............................................................................................................. 69 4.3.3.2 Between Mothers ............................................................................................................ 71 5 “HUNGER“................................................................................................... 74 5.1 PLOT SUMMARY ............................................................................................................... 74 5.2 GENERAL REMARKS AND CRITICISM .................................................................................. 75 5.3 ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................................... 77 5.3.1 The Guards .............................................................................................................................. 77 5.3.1.1 Raymond Lohan ............................................................................................................. 78 5.3.1.2 Stephen Graves, Riot Prison Officer ............................................................................... 80 5.3.2 The Inmates ............................................................................................................................. 82 5.3.2.1 Davey Gillen and Gerry Campbell .................................................................................. 83 5.3.2.2 Bobby Sands .................................................................................................................. 86 5.3.3 Personal Relationships ........................................................................................................... 90 5.3.3.1 Between guards and inmates ......................................................................................... 90 5.3.3.2 Between inmates ............................................................................................................ 92 6 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................