Between 600 and 800 republicans from the Beechmount and Iveagh areas of West Belfast attended a commemoration parade last Sunday, 3 March. They paraded through the area before assembling at a point along Beechmount Avenue where a memorial plot was dedicated in memory of three former H Block POWs.
The three, Pat McGeown, who spent some 40 days on hunger strike in 1981, Kieran Nugent and Alec Comerford, all died what can only be described as "premature deaths" after their release from the H Blocks.
The memorial plot holds three separate pieces, one in the shape of a H, the second a Celtic Cross, while the third is a plaque mounted on a rock inscribed with the names of all those who died on the 1981 Hunger Strike. A representative of each of the families unveiled the memorial pieces.
Sinn's Féin Joe Austin gave the main oration.
Prior to Sunday's unveiling, a wreathlaying ceremony was held at the mural at the junction of the Falls Road and Beechmount Avenue in memory of those Volunteers from the area who died in this phase of struggle.
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