Cause of death Hunger strike Name Kevin Lynch | Role Hunger striker | |
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Born 25 May 1956 ( 1956-05-25 ) Park, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK Known for Hunger strike of 71 days, from 23 May 1981 Died August 1, 1981, HM Prison Maze Organization Irish National Liberation Army | ||
Kevin Lynch (25 May 1956 – 1 August 1981) was an Irish republican hunger striker and member of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) from Park near Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The Dungiven hurling team was renamed Kevin Lynch's Hurling Club in his honour after his death.
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Early life
Lynch was the youngest in a family of eight children born to Paddy and Bridie Lynch in Park, north County Londonderry.
Lynch's older brother, Frank, was an amateur boxer and he also participated in the sport as well as Gaelic football and hurling. Lynch was a member of the winning Dungiven team which won the Feile na nGael Division 3 in Thurles , County Tipperary in 1971 and in 1972 he captained the Derry Hurling team to an Under-16 All-Ireland title at Croke Park, Dublin by defeating County Armagh.
INLA career
Lynch was tried, convicted and sentenced to ten years for stealing shotguns, taking part in a punishment shooting and conspiring to take arms from the security forces. He was sent to the Maze Prison in December 1977. He became involved with the blanket protest, joined the 1981 hunger strike at the Maze on 23 May 1981 and died 71 days later.
Other information
He is commemorated on the Irish Martyrs Memorial at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney, Australia.