The iconography surrounding the 1981 hunger strikes in Northern Ireland demonstrates the powerful role of visual symbolism in political resistance movements. Emerging from the "Blanket Protest" that began in 1976 at the H-Blocks of the Maze Prison (Long Kesh), this visual language created enduring symbols that transcended their immediate context to shape broader narratives of political struggle.

The Blanket Protest itself began when prisoners refused to wear standard prison uniforms, seeing this as acceptance of criminal rather than political status. Instead, they wrapped themselves in blankets, creating a striking visual metaphor of dignified resistance against state categorisation. This image—men clothed only in blankets within stark cell environments—communicated their determination to maintain political identity despite physical deprivation and institutional pressure.

As the protest escalated into the hunger strikes of 1981, the visual representation of the strikers themselves became increasingly powerful. Photographs of the ten men who died, particularly Bobby Sands, underwent a transformation from documentary images to iconic symbols. Their gaunt faces, captured before imprisonment and then circulated alongside their political writings, created a narrative of sacrifice and principle that resonated well beyond Ireland, prompting international protests from New York to Tehran.

The use of simplified visual elements—blankets, prison cells, and portraits of the hunger strikers—alongside slogans like "Give Us Our Rights" created an instantly recognisable visual language that communicated complex political demands through accessible imagery. These symbols transcended literacy and language barriers, allowing the republican cause to build international solidarity.

Decades later, this iconography continues to shape republican identity, demonstrating how visual elements can become repositories of collective memory that transmit historical experiences to new generations, maintaining continuity in political movements through shared visual references.