| Bobby Sands was born on 9 March 1954 in | | | | reading widely and learning Irish. |
| Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. It | | | | On his release in 1976 he re-joined his local unit |
| was a predominately loyalist area and Sands' | | | | and resumed an active role in the IRA's campaign. |
| family were forced to move due to loyalist | | | | Within six months he was arrested again, there |
| intimidation. When he left school, he became an | | | | had been a bomb attack on the Balmoral Furniture |
| apprentice coach-builder but he was forced out by | | | | Company at Dunmurry, followed by a gun battle, |
| fellow-workers who were loyalist. | | | | Bobby was captured in a car near the scene in |
| In June 1972, the Sands were again forced to | | | | which a revolver that had been used in the attack |
| move home, they re-located to the newly-built | | | | was discovered. |
| Twinbrook housing development on the fringe of | | | | He was convicted of possession of fire-arms and |
| nationalist West Belfast. That same year at the | | | | sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment. He |
| age of eighteen, Bobby joined the Republican | | | | was again sent to Long Kesh, after internment |
| movement, in October he was arrested and | | | | had been introduced, a series of buildings known |
| charged with possession of hand-guns which were | | | | from their floor plans as H-blocks had been |
| discovered in a house in which he was staying. He | | | | constructed to make it suitable for housing large |
| was incarcerated with political status in Long Kesh | | | | numbers of inmates belonging to paramilitary |
| prison for the next three years, he spend his time | | | | organisations. |