Laurence McKeown facts for kids

Laurence McKeown (born in 1956) is an Irish writer, playwright, and screenwriter. He was involved with an Irish republican group called the IRA during a time of conflict in Northern Ireland. He also took part in a hunger strike in 1981.

Early Life and Involvement

Laurence McKeown was born in 1956 in Randalstown, a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. He went to St Malachy's College in Belfast.

As a teenager, Laurence dreamed of becoming an architect. At 15, he started working in an office that dealt with building costs, called a quantity surveyor's office. When he was 16, he joined an Irish republican group known as the IRA. He later said that joining was a very serious decision.

In August 1976, McKeown was arrested. He was found guilty in April 1977 and sent to Maze Prison. He spent time in prison during a period of conflict in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles.

Prison Life and Hunger Strike

When Laurence McKeown arrived at Maze Prison in 1978, he joined other prisoners in a "blanket protest". This protest was about getting special rights for prisoners who were involved in the conflict. They wanted to be treated as political prisoners, not regular criminals.

Later in 1978, he also joined a "no-wash protest". In late 1980, the protests became more serious. Seven prisoners started a hunger strike. They hoped to get their special rights back. They had five main demands:

• The right not to wear a prison uniform.
• The right not to do prison work.
• The right to spend time with other prisoners and organize activities like education.
• The right to one visit, one letter, and one package each week.
• To get back time they had lost off their sentences because of the protest.

This first hunger strike ended without anyone dying and without the prisoners getting their demands.

A second hunger strike began on March 1, 1981. It was led by Bobby Sands, another prisoner. Laurence McKeown joined this strike on June 29, after Bobby Sands and three other prisoners had already died.

After six more prisoners died, Laurence McKeown's family decided to allow doctors to help him. This saved his life on September 6, which was the 70th day of his hunger strike. He later described how determined they were during the strike. He said they felt it was "all or nothing" because so many people had died.

Life After Prison

Laurence McKeown was released from prison in 1992. While he was in prison, he studied and earned a degree in social science from the Open University. After his release, he continued his studies and got a PhD in Sociology from Queen's University Belfast.

In the mid-1990s, he helped start the Belfast Film Festival. He has also written two books about Irish republican prisoners in Maze Prison. One book, Nor Meekly Serve My Time: The H-Block Struggle 1976–1981, was published in 1994. He wrote it with Brian Campbell and Felim O'Hagan. The other book, Out Of Time: Irish Republican Prisoners, Long Kesh, 1972–2000, came out in 2001.

In 2006, McKeown appeared in a two-part TV show called Hunger Strike. It was shown on RTÉ to mark 25 years since the 1981 hunger strike. He also works for an organization called Coiste na nIarchimí, which helps former prisoners.

Writing Career

Laurence McKeown and Brian Campbell wrote a film together about the 1981 hunger strike. It was called H3 and was released in cinemas in 2001.

Before Brian Campbell passed away in 2005, he and McKeown also wrote two plays. The Laughter of Our Children first showed in 2001, and A Cold House debuted in 2003.

McKeown's first play that he wrote by himself was The Official Version, which premiered in 2006. He has continued to write plays. One of his plays, Two Roads West, is a special type of play called a site-specific play. This means it's performed in a specific place, like a Belfast black cab. The audience gets into the cab with the actors! This play was also performed in Derry in 2013.

In 2016, McKeown's play Green and Blue was first performed in Belfast. This play tells the story of a Garda officer (police in the Republic of Ireland) and an RUC officer (police in Northern Ireland). It shows the challenges they faced and their unexpected relationship during the Troubles. The play was inspired by real stories from police officers.

Plays by Laurence McKeown

Laurence McKeown has written many plays, sometimes with others and sometimes by himself. Here are some of them:

• The Laughter of Our Children (2001, with Brian Campbell)
• A Cold House (2003, with Brian Campbell)
• The Official Version (2006)
• Two Roads West (2009)
• The West Awakes (2010)
• Those You Pass On The Street (2014)
• Green and Blue (2016)
• Something In The Air (2019)
• Before You Go (2021)