since i was young i heard alot about a famouse poet writer great uncle who i got my middle name from i had heard his funeral was much bigger then kenedies but i had the name wrong so searching for his writinmgs returned nothing

however a few years back i uncovered the real name and was surprised to find he terence mscswiney had done the longest hunger strike in irelands history having passed away after 78 days without food

i just now came across this video of his massive funeral

more on hids trial hungerstrike and death

and more he brought the irisg=h struggle to international attention by giving his life for the cause

this is from wiki on his legacy hunger strike and politicle activity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_MacSwiney

MacSwiney's writings in the newspaper irish freedom brought him to the attention of the irish republican brotherhood. He was one of the founders of the Cork Brigade of the irish volunteers in 1913, and was President of the Cork branch of sinn fein . He founded a newspaper, Fianna Fil , in 1914, but it was suppressed after only 11 issues. In April 1916, he was intended to be second in command of the easter rising in Cork and Kerry, but stood down his forces on the order of Eoin MacNeill . Following the rising, he was interned under the defence of the realm act in Reading and Wakefield Gaols until December 1916. In February 1917 he was deported from Ireland and interned in Shrewsbury and Bromyard internment camps until his release in June 1917. It was during his exile in Bromyard that he married Muriel Murphy of the Cork distillery-owning family. In November 1917, he was arrested in Cork for wearing an irish republican army (IRA) uniform, and, inspired by the example of thomas ash, went on a hunger strike for three days prior to his release.

In the 1918 general election, MacSwiney was returned unopposed to the first Dil ireann as Sinn Fin representative for mid cork, succeeding the nationalist MP D. D. Sheehan. After the murder of his friend Toms Mac Curtain, the lord mayor of cork on 20 March 1920, MacSwiney was elected as Lord Mayor. On 12 August 1920, he was arrested in Dublin for possession of sedicious articles and documents, and also possession of a cipher key. He was summarily tried by court marshal on 16 August and sentenced to two years' imprisonment in Brixton Prison.

Hunger strike

In prison he immediately started a hunger strike in protest at his internment and the fact that he was tried by a military court. Eleven republican prisoners in Cork Jail went on hunger strike at the same time. On 26 August, the British cabinet stated that "the release of the Lord Mayor would have disastrous results in Ireland and would probably lead to a mutiny of both military and police in South of Ireland." MacSwiney's hunger strike gained world attention. The British government was threatened with a boycott of British goods by Americans, while four countries in South America appealed to the Pope to intervene. Protests were held in Germany and France as well. An Australian member of Parliament hugh mahon, was expelled from the Australian parliament for "seditious and disloyal utterances at a public meeting" after protesting the actions of the British government in the Australian Parliament.

Attempts at force-feeding MacSwiney were undertaken in the final days of his strike. On 20 October 1920, he fell into a coma and died five days later after 74 days on hunger strike. His body lay in southwork cathederal in London where 30,000 people filed past it. Fearing large-scale demonstrations in Dublin, the authorities diverted his coffin directly to Cork and his funeral there on 31 October attracted huge crowds. Terence MacSwiney is buried in the Republican plot in Saint Finbarr's Cemetery in Cork. arthur griffewth delivered the graveside oration.

Aftermath and legacy

MacSwiney's funeral in Cork on 31 October 1920.

A collection of his writings, entitled Principles of Freedom , was published posthumously in 1921. It was based upon articles MacSwiney contributed to Irish Freedom during 19111912. MacSwiney's life and work had a particular impact in India. Jawaharlal Nehru took inspiration from MacSwiney's example and writings, and Mahatma Gandhi counted him among his influences. Principles of Freedom was translated into various Indian languages including Telugu. Another Indian revolutionary Bhagat Singh was an admirer of Terence MacSwiney and wrote about him in his memoirs. While in prison during his trial he went on hunger strike to protest the conditions in which Indian revolutionaries were being kept. Bhagat Singh, in his interview with the Tribune newspaper mentioned MacSwiney as one of his inspirations. When Bhagat Singh's father petitioned the British government to pardon his son, Bhagat Singh quoted Terence MacSwiney and said "I am confident that my death will do more to smash the British Empire than my release" and told his father to withdraw the petition. He was executed on March 23, 1931, with two of his comrades, Rajguru and Sukhdev, for killing a British officer. Other figures beyond India who counted MacSwiney as an influence include Ho Chi Minh who was working in London at the time of MacSwiney's death and said of him, "A nation that has such citizens will never surrender".

In Ireland, Terence MacSwiney's sister Mary MacSwiney took on his seat in the Dil and spoke against the anglo-irish treaty in January 1922. His brother Sen MacSwiney was also elected in the 1921 elections for another Cork constituency. Sen also opposed the Treaty.

In 1945 his only child, Mire MacSwiney, married Ruair Brugha, son of the anti-Treaty Teachta Dla Cathal Brugha, and later a TD, Member of the European Parliament, and senator. Mire MacSwiney is the author of a memoir History's Daughter: A Memoir from the Only Child of Terence MacSwiney (2006).

A collection relating to Terence MacSwiney exists in Cork Public Museum. His portrait, and a painting of his funeral mass, by Sir John Lavery are exhibited in Cork's Crawford Municipal Art Gallery.

There is also a Secondary School named after him in the north side of Cork City, with a room dedicated to his memory.

i found these videos just now i already knew about the wiki page

but i like to think that even though he was a distant relative long dead he still influenced who i became