Thomas McElwee remembered in Gorey

A vigil was held in memory of republican hunger striker Thomas McElwee in Gorey last Friday evening. The event which was organised by the local Ed O’ Brien and John Sheehan Sinn Féin cumainn was held to mark the 31st anniversary of the young Derry mans death on hunger strike in the H-Blocks.

Thomas McElwee was the tenth man to join the hunger strike in 1981. A first cousin of Francis Hughes, McElwee came from the same small south Derry village of Bellaghy. Their family homes were less than half-a-mile apart in the townland of Tamlaghtduff.

Thomas McElwee died at 11.30 a.m. on Saturday, August 8th. He had spent 62 days on a slow agonising hunger strike and was denied the company of his family in his final hours.

The last hunger strike vigil of the year will be held in the south wexford village of Taghmon this Friday evening at 7pm to mark the anniversary of Mickey Devine.