9 March, 1954 - 5 May, 1981

Born Belfast (Rathcoole) into a protestant area. His family was made unwelcome when it was discovered they were catholic. He had to avoid local protestant gangs while growing up, which was made easier by his being an accomplished runner. An ardent soccer fan he was interested in athletics of all kinds, though was never officially joined to a GAA club.

He joined the IRA at the age of 15 and was first arrested in October 1972 at the age of 18. Convicted for posession of four pistols which were being stored at the place he was staying, he was sentenced to five years. His girlfriend was pregnant at the time of his arrest and they were married while he was on remand in prison. He was released in April '76. They were living in Twinbrook when he was arrested again 6 months later. He was in a car with three others when they were stopped and found to have a gun in the car. After 11 months on remand he was sentenced to 14 years. Between them the 4 men in the car were sentenced to 84 years for the one gun. Three were sent to the punishment blocks right away. Bobby spent the first 22 days of his sentence on the boards (punishment blocks). He was also subjected to a diet of just bread and water every three days for this time. Sands joined the Blanket protest in Sept. 1977. The prisoners were trying to get status as P.O.W.'s. and thus were refusing to wear prison clothes, being dressed only in their blanket 24 hours a day. After a few years of this the leadership decided to escalate to a hunger strike. When the first mass hunger strike was contemplated in 1980 he wanted to be on it but was not chosen. When the british reneged on their commitments from the first hunger strike Sands insisted on being a part of the new one. When it was decided that he and three others (2 IRA men and 1 INLA man) would begin it he asked to get a two week head start so the others may have more of a chance. Beginning on 1 March he did not touch any food for 66 straight days, and he passed away on 5 May, 1981. He was the first of ten brave men to die that year in the struggle for Irelands Freedom, as well as the struggle for P.O.W. status. So much attention was given to them that he was even elected an MP in Fermanagh while on the hunger strike.

He was a poet, an intellectual, a fluent speaker of Gaelige, and a sincere republican who gave his all for the cause. While he had his 6 months of Freedom in '76 he was a major part of the local community, even starting his own paper. During his imprisonment he wrote articles for the Sinn Fein paper under the pseudonym 'Marcella', the name of one of his two sisters. His son turned 8 years old the same month that he passed away. He was an integral part of informing the world of the conditions being endured by the brave men the british were trying to destroy. His inspiration will live on until Ireland is Free. The slogan "Tiocfaidh Ar La" ("Our day will come") is attributed to him and has been popular with Republicans ever since.