Laurence McKeown facts for kids

Laurence McKeown (born 1956) is an Irish author, playwright, and screenwriter. He was also a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and took part in the 1981 Irish hunger strike.

Early Life and Involvement

Laurence McKeown was born in 1956 in Randalstown, County Antrim, which is in Northern Ireland. He went to St Malachy's College in Belfast. When he was a teenager, Laurence dreamed of becoming an architect. At 15, he started working in an office that dealt with building costs.

At 16, he joined the IRA, a group involved in a period of conflict known as The Troubles. In August 1976, McKeown was arrested. He was later found guilty and sent to prison in the Maze Prison in April 1977.

Time in Prison and Hunger Strike

When Laurence McKeown arrived at the Maze Prison in 1978, he joined the blanket protest. This protest was a way for prisoners to demand that they be treated as political prisoners, not just criminals. They wanted to get back their "Special Category Status," which had been taken away in 1975.

He also joined the "no-wash protest" in 1978. In late 1980, the protests became more serious. Seven prisoners started a hunger strike. Their goal was to get back their political status by achieving 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 educational activities.
• The right to one visit, one letter, and one parcel each week.
• Getting back the time they lost off their sentences because of the protest.

This first hunger strike ended without anyone dying and without the demands being met. So, a second hunger strike began on March 1, 1981. This strike was led by Bobby Sands. Laurence McKeown joined this strike on June 29, after several other prisoners had already died.

After six more prisoners died, Laurence McKeown's family decided to allow doctors to help him on September 6. This was the 70th day of his hunger strike. He later shared how determined the prisoners were. He said they were committed to their goals and would not give up unless all their demands were met. He also described the extreme tiredness and exhaustion he felt during the strike.

Life After Prison

Laurence McKeown was released from prison in 1992. While he was in prison, he studied hard and earned a bachelor's degree in social science from the Open University. After his release, he continued his education and earned 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 the Maze Prison:

• Nor Meekly Serve My Time: The H-Block Struggle 1976–1981 (published in 1994, co-written with Brian Campbell and Felim O'Hagan)
• Out Of Time: Irish Republican Prisoners, Long Kesh, 1972–2000 (published in 2001)

In 2006, he appeared in a two-part TV show called Hunger Strike. This show was made to mark 25 years since the 1981 hunger strike. McKeown also works as a Development Officer for Coiste na nIarchimí, which is an organization for former republican prisoners.

Writing Career

Laurence McKeown has had a successful career as a writer. He and Brian Campbell wrote a film together about the 1981 hunger strike called H3. The film was shown in cinemas starting in September 2001.

Before Brian Campbell passed away in 2005, they also wrote two plays together:

• The Laughter of Our Children (first shown in 2001)
• A Cold House (first shown in 2003)

McKeown's first play that he wrote by himself was The Official Version, which debuted in September 2006. He has continued to write many plays, including Two Roads West. This play is unique because it takes place inside a Belfast black cab, and the audience sits in the cab with the actors. The play was later performed in Derry in 2013 as part of the UK City of Culture events.

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

Selected Plays

• The Laughter of Our Children (2001, co-written with Brian Campbell)
• A Cold House (2003, co-written 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)