About
Irish Republican Army revolutionary whose death at age 27 in the HM Prison Maze caused a surge of IRA activity and recruitment.
Before Fame
He joined the IRA in 1972, and was soon afterwards arrested for possessing four handguns. After being convicted, he served three years of a five-year sentence.
Trivia
He died of self-inflicted starvation on day 66 of his hunger strike, which he led to remove Special Category Status from IRA prisoners.
Family Life
He married Geraldine Noade in 1972. He had a child named Gerald Sands and a sister named Bernadette Sands McKevitt.
Associated With
Nelson Mandela, who was influenced by Sands, carried out a hunger strike while on Robben Island.
