[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":4},["ShallowReactive",2],{"event-plain-first-h-block-hunger-strike-ends":3},"On December 18, 1980, the first H-Block hunger strike in Northern Ireland concluded after 53 days. Seven Irish republican prisoners in Maze Prison (known as Long Kesh) had embarked on the strike to regain Special Category Status, which afforded them political prisoner rights rather than being treated as common criminals. The strike ended following intervention from Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, the Catholic Primate of All Ireland, and promises of concessions from the British government. Although the immediate demands were not fully met, the hunger strike drew significant international attention to the prisoners' plight and the broader conflict in Northern Ireland.",1789333841346]