Michael C. Mentel earned his bachelor’s degree in history and political science and his Juris Doctor degree from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. In law school, he studied international contract law during a semester at Trinity College, Dublin, through the University of San Diego School of Law. Later in his career, he received a Doctor of Humane Letters, Humana Causa, from Ohio Dominican University, Columbus, Ohio. Mentel currently serves as an Ohio Appellate Court Judge.
A passion for history and his Irish heritage led Judge Mentel to spend over 6 years researching, interviewing and visiting locations in order to write his book: The 1981 Irish Hunger Strike: An Account from Declassified British Documents.
Judge Mentel says, “The hunger strike of 1981 was one of the most tragic events to occur in Irish history. Ten men died over a period of 217 days in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh (Maze) prison, protesting the denial of their basic human rights. They endured five years of intensified degradation and brutality at the hands of prison warders following the termination of Special Category Status (political status) in the prisons. After five years of attempting to attain their basic five demands from the British government, they engaged in the most extreme form of protest to achieve their objective: a hunger strike.” The hunger strike led to the death of Bobby Sands and 9 other men.
The 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
An Account from Declassified
British Documents
Judge Mentel speaks about what led up to, took place during and followed the events of the 1981 hunger strike. His presentation includes photos and copies of some of the declassified documents. It includes information from now declassified documents and the Judge’s own travels and personal conversations.
Judge Mentel is based in Columbus Ohio but has presented in numerous places including Cleveland, New York, NY and other places.