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{{for|the Irish television writer and producer|Kieran Doherty (writer)}}
{{short description|Irish republican hunger striker and politician (1955-1981)}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=April 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Kieran Doherty
| name = Kieran Doherty
| image = Kieran_Doherty_H-Block.png
⚫
| nationality = Irish
| image =
| office = [[Teachta Dála]]
⚫
| term_start = [[1981 Irish general election|June 1981]]
| caption =
| office = [[Teachta Dála]]
| term_end = 2 August 1981
⚫
| constituency = [[Cavan–Monaghan (Dáil constituency)|Cavan–Monaghan]]
⚫
| term_start = 11 June 1981
⚫
| birth_date = {{birth date|1955|10|16|df=y}}
| term_end = 2 August 1981
⚫
| birth_place = [[Andersonstown]], [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland
⚫
| constituency = [[Cavan–Monaghan (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Cavan–Monaghan]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1955|10|16|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1981|8|2|1955|10|16|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]]
| death_place = [[HM Prison Maze]], [[County Down]], Northern Ireland
| death_cause = Died after 73 days on [[1981 Hunger Strike|hunger strike]]
⚫
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1981|8|2|1955|10|16|df=y}}
⚫
| nationality =
⚫
| death_place = [[County Down]], Northern Ireland
| party = [[Anti H-Block]]
| party = [[Anti H-Block]]
| blank1 = Other organisations
| blank1 =
| data1 = [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]] volunteer
| data1 = |
| branch = [[Fianna Éireann]] <small>(1971–1972)</small><br>
[[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]] <small>(1972–1981)</small>
| branch_label = Paramilitary
| rank = [[Volunteer (Irish republican)|Volunteer]]
| unit = [[Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade|Belfast Brigade]]
| resting_place = [[Milltown Cemetery]]
| battles = [[The Troubles]]
}}
}}

'''Kieran Doherty''' (16 October 1955 – 2 August 1981) was an [[Irish republicanism|Irish republican]] [[hunger strike]]r, [[Teachta Dála]] (TD) and a [[Volunteer (Irish republican)|volunteer]] in the [[Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade|Belfast Brigade]] of the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA).
'''Kieran Doherty''' (16 October 1955 – 2 August 1981) was an [[Irish republican]] [[hunger strike]]r and politician who served as a [[Teachta Dála]] (TD) for the [[Cavan–Monaghan (Dáil constituency)|Cavan–Monaghan]] constituency from June 1981 to August 1981. He was a [[Volunteer (Irish republican)|volunteer]] in the [[Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade|Belfast Brigade]] of the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA).


==Background==
==Background==
Doherty was the third son in a family of six born in [[Andersonstown]], Belfast. He was educated at St. Theresa's Primary School and Glen Road Christian Brothers School (CBS). The Doherty brothers were known cyclists and sportsmen in the Andersontown area; Kieran won an [[Antrim GAA|Antrim]] [[Gaelic football]] medal at minor level in 1971.<ref name="Tírghrá">{{cite book|title=Tírghrá|publisher=National Commemoration Centre|year=2002|doi=|isbn=0-9542946-0-2|page=242}}</ref>
Doherty was the third son in a family of six.<ref name="IHS">{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627215753/http://www.irishhungerstrike.com/kierandoherty.html |url=https://irishhungerstrike.com/kierandoherty.html |title=Kieran Doherty Biography |work=IrishHungerStrike.com |access-date=2 August 2021 |archive-date=27 June 2016}}</ref> He was born in the [[Andersonstown]] area of [[Belfast]]. He was educated at St. Theresa's Primary School and Glen Road Christian Brothers School (CBS). The Doherty brothers were known cyclists and sportsmen in the Andersontown area; Kieran won an [[Antrim GAA|Antrim]] [[Gaelic football]] medal at minor level in 1971.<ref name="Tírghrá">{{cite book |title=Tírghrá |publisher=National Commemoration Centre |year=2002 |isbn=0-9542946-0-2 |page=242}}</ref>


Doherty joined [[Fianna Éireann]] in Autumn 1971, quickly being recruited into the Provisional IRA thereafter.<ref name="IHS" /><ref name=":0" /> On 6 October 1972, his home was raided by the British Army and he was detained. He was later released after it was proven he was under 17 and couldn't be [[Internment|interned]]. The Army returned again ten days later, when he turned 17, but Doherty had been warned and fled across the border to stay with an uncle in [[Limerick]]. He eventually returned to Belfast in early 1973.<ref name=":0" />
Doherty joined [[Fianna Éireann]] in 1971 and was interned by the British government between February 1973 and November 1975.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} Kieran's brothers Michael and Terence were interned between 1972 and 1974.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}


He was interned by the [[British Government]] between February 1973 and November 1975.<ref name="IHS" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Kieran Doherty {{!}} Bobby Sands Trust |url=https://www.bobbysandstrust.com/hungerstrikers/kieran-doherty/ |access-date=11 July 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref> Kieran's brothers Michael and Terence were interned between 1972 and 1974.<ref name="IHS" />
⚫
Doherty worked as an apprentice heating engineer.<ref name=oireachtas_db/> His girlfriend was Geraldine Scheiss; although they never became formally engaged they became very close towards the end of his life. Before his arrest, she had not known that he was in the IRA.<ref>Beresford, David. ''Ten Men Dead''.</ref>

⚫
Doherty worked as an apprentice heating engineer.<ref name=oireachtas_db/> His girlfriend was Geraldine Scheiss; although they never became formally engaged, they became very close towards the end of his life. Before his arrest, she had not known that he was in the IRA.<ref>Beresford, David. ''Ten Men Dead''.</ref>


==Paramilitary activity==
==Paramilitary activity==
In August 1976, while he was out to set a bomb, the van he was in was chased by the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary). During the chase Doherty managed to leave the van and hijack a car. He later ditched the car and was found 1 mile away from the car.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}He was convicted and sentenced to 18 years for possession of firearms and explosives, with another four years for the hijack.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}
In August 1976, while he was out to set a bomb, the van he was in was chased by the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] (RUC). During the chase Doherty managed to leave the van and hijack a car. He later ditched the car some streets away and was found {{convert|1|mi|km}} away from the car.<ref name="IHS"/> He was convicted and sentenced to 18 years for possession of firearms and explosives, with another four years for the hijack.<ref name="IHS"/>


==Hunger strike==
==Hunger strike==
[[File:Remember the Hunger Strikers Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin.JPG|thumb|Hunger Strikers Memorial Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin]]
Doherty started his strike on the 22nd of May. He died at the age of 25 in the [[1981 Irish hunger strike]] in the [[HM Prison Maze|Maze]] prison (known to republicans as ''Long Kesh''). He lasted 73 days on hunger strike, the longest of the 1981 hunger strikers, and only one day short of [[Terence MacSwiney]].
Doherty began his strike on 22 May. He died at the age of 25 in the [[1981 Irish hunger strike]] in the [[HM Prison Maze|Maze Prison]] (known to republicans as ''[[RAF Long Kesh#Long Kesh Detention Centre|Long Kesh]]''). He lasted 73 days on hunger strike, the longest of the 1981 hunger strikers, and only one day short of [[Terence MacSwiney]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/27895 |title=Remembering the Past – Kevin Lynch and Kieran Doherty laid to rest |work=AnPhoblacht.com |date=31 July 2020 |access-date=2 August 2021}}</ref>


==Election to Dáil Éireann==
==Election to Dáil Éireann==
While on hunger strike he was elected as an [[Anti H-Block]] [[Teachta Dála|TD]] for the [[Cavan–Monaghan (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Cavan–Monaghan]] constituency at the [[Irish general election, 1981|1981 general election]], which was held in the [[Republic of Ireland]] on 11 June.<ref name=oireachtas_db>{{cite web|url=http://oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=22&MemberID=325&ConstID=25|title=Mr. Kieran Doherty|work=Oireachtas Members Database|accessdate=4 February 2013}}</ref> He received 9,121 (15.1%) first preference votes and was elected on the fourth count.<ref name=elecs_irl>{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3268|title=Kieran Doherty|work=ElectionsIreland.org|accessdate=3 February 2013}}</ref> Doherty is the shortest-serving Dáil deputy ever, having served as a TD for two months. The two seats gained by Anti H-Block candidates denied [[Charles Haughey]] the chance to form a government, and the 22nd Dáil saw [[Fine Gael]] and the [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] forming a government with [[Garret FitzGerald]] as [[Taoiseach]].
While on hunger strike he was elected as an [[Anti H-Block]] [[Teachta Dála|TD]] for the [[Cavan–Monaghan (Dáil constituency)|Cavan–Monaghan]] constituency at the [[1981 Irish general election|1981 general election]], which was held in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] on 11 June.<ref name=oireachtas_db>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Kieran-Doherty.D.1981-06-30/|title=Kieran Doherty|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref> He received 9,121 (15.1%) first preference votes and was elected on the fourth count.<ref name=elecs_irl>{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3268|title=Kieran Doherty|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=3 February 2013}}</ref> Doherty is the shortest-serving Dáil deputy ever, having served as a TD for two months. The two seats gained by Anti H-Block candidates denied [[Taoiseach]] [[Charles Haughey]] the chance to form a government,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/doherty-kieran-a2659 |title=Doherty, Kieran |last=Maume |first=Patrick |date=October 2009 |work=[[Dictionary of Irish Biography]] |access-date= 30 November 2023 |quote=}}</ref> and the [[22nd Dáil]] saw a [[Fine Gael]]-[[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] coalition government come to office, with [[Garret FitzGerald]] as Taoiseach.


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
[[File:Kieran Doherty.jpg|thumb|right|Kieran Doherty memorial in [[Milltown Cemetery]]]]
[[File:Kieran Doherty.jpg|thumb|right|Kieran Doherty memorial in [[Milltown Cemetery]]]]
He is commemorated on the Irish Martyrs Memorial at [[Waverley Cemetery]] in Sydney, Australia.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} In October 2016 a painting of him was unveiled in [[Leinster House]] by [[Sinn Féin]].
He is commemorated on the Irish Martyrs Memorial at [[Waverley Cemetery]] in [[Sydney]], Australia.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=3 August 2021|title=40th anniversary of hunger striker Doherty TD marked |url=https://www.anglocelt.ie/2021/08/03/40th-anniversary-of-hunger-striker-doherty-td-marked/|work=[[The Anglo-Celt]] |location=[[Cavan]] |access-date=23 November 2023}}</ref> Decades earlier, another hunger striker, [[Joseph Whitty]] (aged 19), likewise died on 2 August, during the [[1923 Irish Hunger Strikes]]. In October 2016, a painting of him was unveiled in [[Leinster House]] by [[Sinn Féin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/26466 |title=Mural to Hunger Strike TD Kieran Doherty unveiled in Dáil |work=AnPhoblacht.com |date=29 October 2016 |access-date=2 August 2021}}</ref>

He is buried in the republican plot at [[Milltown Cemetery]] in West Belfast.<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 February 2007 |title=Republican graves vandalised at Belfast's Milltown Cemetery |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republican-graves-vandalised-at-belfasts-milltown-cemetery/28420442.html |access-date=11 July 2024 |work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 43: Line 58:


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}


{{Cavan-Monaghan (Dáil constituency)/TDs}}
{{1981 Hunger Strike}}
{{1981 Hunger Strike}}
{{PIRA}}
{{PIRA}}
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[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
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[[Category:Anti H-Block TDs]]
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[[Category:Irish republicans]]
[[Category:Irish republicans interned without trial]]
[[Category:Irish republicans interned without trial]]
[[Category:Members of the 22nd Dáil]]
[[Category:Members of the 22nd Dáil]]
⚫
[[Category:People from Belfast]]
[[Category:People who died on the 1981 Irish hunger strike]]
[[Category:People who died on the 1981 Irish hunger strike]]
[[Category:Politicians from Belfast]]
[[Category:Provisional Irish Republican Army members]]
[[Category:Provisional Irish Republican Army members]]
⚫
[[Category:Anti H-Block TDs]]

Latest revision as of 16:26, 27 October 2024

Kieran Doherty
Teachta Dála
In office
June 1981 – 2 August 1981
ConstituencyCavan–Monaghan
Personal details
Born(1955-10-16)16 October 1955
Andersonstown, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died2 August 1981(1981-08-02) (aged 25)
HM Prison Maze, County Down, Northern Ireland
Cause of deathDied after 73 days on hunger strike
Resting placeMilltown Cemetery
Political partyAnti H-Block
Military service
ParamilitaryFianna Éireann (1971–1972)
Provisional IRA (1972–1981)
RankVolunteer
UnitBelfast Brigade
Battles/warsThe Troubles

Kieran Doherty (16 October 1955 – 2 August 1981) was an Irish republican hunger striker and politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency from June 1981 to August 1981. He was a volunteer in the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).

Background

[edit]

Doherty was the third son in a family of six.[1] He was born in the Andersonstown area of Belfast. He was educated at St. Theresa's Primary School and Glen Road Christian Brothers School (CBS). The Doherty brothers were known cyclists and sportsmen in the Andersontown area; Kieran won an Antrim Gaelic football medal at minor level in 1971.[2]

Doherty joined Fianna Éireann in Autumn 1971, quickly being recruited into the Provisional IRA thereafter.[1][3] On 6 October 1972, his home was raided by the British Army and he was detained. He was later released after it was proven he was under 17 and couldn't be interned. The Army returned again ten days later, when he turned 17, but Doherty had been warned and fled across the border to stay with an uncle in Limerick. He eventually returned to Belfast in early 1973.[3]

He was interned by the British Government between February 1973 and November 1975.[1][3] Kieran's brothers Michael and Terence were interned between 1972 and 1974.[1]

Doherty worked as an apprentice heating engineer.[4] His girlfriend was Geraldine Scheiss; although they never became formally engaged, they became very close towards the end of his life. Before his arrest, she had not known that he was in the IRA.[5]

Paramilitary activity

[edit]

In August 1976, while he was out to set a bomb, the van he was in was chased by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). During the chase Doherty managed to leave the van and hijack a car. He later ditched the car some streets away and was found 1 mile (1.6 km) away from the car.[1] He was convicted and sentenced to 18 years for possession of firearms and explosives, with another four years for the hijack.[1]

Hunger strike

[edit]
Hunger Strikers Memorial Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin

Doherty began his strike on 22 May. He died at the age of 25 in the 1981 Irish hunger strike in the Maze Prison (known to republicans as Long Kesh). He lasted 73 days on hunger strike, the longest of the 1981 hunger strikers, and only one day short of Terence MacSwiney.[6]

Election to Dáil Éireann

[edit]

While on hunger strike he was elected as an Anti H-Block TD for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency at the 1981 general election, which was held in Ireland on 11 June.[4] He received 9,121 (15.1%) first preference votes and was elected on the fourth count.[7] Doherty is the shortest-serving Dáil deputy ever, having served as a TD for two months. The two seats gained by Anti H-Block candidates denied Taoiseach Charles Haughey the chance to form a government,[8] and the 22nd Dáil saw a Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition government come to office, with Garret FitzGerald as Taoiseach.

Legacy

[edit]
Kieran Doherty memorial in Milltown Cemetery

He is commemorated on the Irish Martyrs Memorial at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney, Australia.[9] Decades earlier, another hunger striker, Joseph Whitty (aged 19), likewise died on 2 August, during the 1923 Irish Hunger Strikes. In October 2016, a painting of him was unveiled in Leinster House by Sinn Féin.[10]

He is buried in the republican plot at Milltown Cemetery in West Belfast.[11]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f "Kieran Doherty Biography". IrishHungerStrike.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  2. ^ Tírghrá. National Commemoration Centre. 2002. p. 242. ISBN 0-9542946-0-2.
  3. ^ a b c "Kieran Doherty | Bobby Sands Trust". Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Kieran Doherty". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  5. ^ Beresford, David. Ten Men Dead.
  6. ^ "Remembering the Past – Kevin Lynch and Kieran Doherty laid to rest". AnPhoblacht.com. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Kieran Doherty". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  8. ^ Maume, Patrick (October 2009). "Doherty, Kieran". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  9. ^ "40th anniversary of hunger striker Doherty TD marked". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Mural to Hunger Strike TD Kieran Doherty unveiled in Dáil". AnPhoblacht.com. 29 October 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Republican graves vandalised at Belfast's Milltown Cemetery". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 27 February 2007. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
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