The Gaelic Athletic Association and the H-Blocks crisis, 1976 -1981

This thesis will explore how the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was affected by the escalating series of protests initiated by Irish republican prisoners in the Maze Prison (HBlocks) during the period 1976 - 1981. The thesis will detail the pressures that were placed upon the various units of the GAA, from internal and external sources, to publicly support the demands of the protesting prisoners. The thesis will question how the GAA, an organisation perceived by many as nationalist/republican in outlook, responded to these demands, while at the same time responding to those from within and outside the association who were against any form of GAA support for the prisoners. The support the GAA gave to the prisoners will be explored in the context of the historical relationship between the GAA and Irish political prisoners, the relationship between the GAA and An Garda Siochana, and the rulebook of the GAA which, post-1979 stipulated that the GAA was a non-party-political organisation. The thesis will question if the support that some clubs, predominantly clubs in Northern Ireland, gave to the prisoners was universally appreciated within the GAA or if such support caused internal divisions. The thesis will also ask if the crisis affected the GAA on a short-term basis only, or if it left a lasting legacy