Bobby Sands was an Irish republican and member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). Born on March 9, 1954, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he became a prominent figure during the Troubles, a conflict centered around the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. Sands was arrested in 1976 and later imprisoned for possession of firearms. In 1981, Sands led a hunger strike to protest the treatment of political prisoners in Northern Ireland. His death on May 5, 1981, after 66 days without food, drew international attention to the plight of prisoners and the broader conflict in Northern Ireland, making him a martyr for many in the republican movement.