Bramcast welcomes author Richard O'Rawe on our 15th episode.

Richard O’Rawe is a bestselling author of several books on the Troubles in Northern Ireland and two fiction novels. His writing is informed by, and in some cases the story of, his previous life as a member of the Provisional IRA.

O’Rawe’s first book, Blanketmen, recounted own life, how he joined the IRA, and his time on the Blanket and No Wash Protests Inside The H Blocks. It culminates in the story of the 1980 Hungerstrikrs as told from his perspective as their Spokesman. The book sent shockwaves across Ireland, and challenged the prevailing narrative on the hunger strikes. O’Rawe wrote that after the deaths of the first four hunger strikers, an offer had been made by the British government, through an agent codenamed ‘Mountain Climber’, that acquiesced to four of the five hunger strikers demands, including that to let prisoners wear their own clothes. This, O’Rawe writes, was thought sufficient to end the strike by leadership inside the prison, but was rejected by IRA leadership outside the prison, and a further six men would die before the strike was ended. 

HIs most recent book, “Stakeknifes dirty war”, tells the story of Freddie Scappaticci, the highest ranked known british informer within the IRA. In charge of the Internal security unit, known as the nutting squad, Scapaticci’s role was to root out and kill informers within the IRA. All the while, while he was an informer himself. The book investigates the life and crimes of scapaticci, it explores the british intelligence forces complicity in the murder and torture he dealt out, and it tells the story of some of the unfortunate men who endured, and survived, interrogation by the nutting squad.

Today, we discuss both “Stakeknifes dirty war” and Richard’s own life and perspective, and he leaves us with what he would say to a young Irishman or woman that thinks they too would like to take up arms, and who think they are willing to die for their country. 

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