Thomas Ashe Dies in the Mater Hospital in Dublin From the Combined Effects of a Hunger Strike and Forced Feeding at Mountjoy Jail

Thomas Ashe, a key figure in the 1916 Rising and an officer in the Irish Volunteers, dies on 25 September 1917 in the Mater Hospital, Dublin. He had been on hunger strike in Mountjoy Jail, demanding prisoner-of-war status. Authorities subjected him to forced feeding, which ultimately caused his death due to a combination of trauma and neglect.

His death drew massive crowds to his funeral and became a turning point in nationalist resistance to British rule. The moment also gave rise to the famous quote by playwright Seán O’Casey:

“You cannot put a rope around the neck of an idea; you cannot confine it in the strongest prison cell that your slaves could ever build.”

Ashe’s martyrdom became a rallying cry for Irish republicans and helped spark a renewed wave of resistance.