David Pidgeon

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**David Pidgeon** (*Ah no, what's your real surname? Really? Ha that's mad. Steven! This lads name is Pidgeon!* ) was born in the banks of the Royal Canal. He was a member of the Provisional Mullingar Publican Army who died while imprisoned in Danny Byrnes (referred to by David as the land of shite craic)He was the leader of the 1981 Dannys boycott in which Irish lads protested against the fact that the Stables was closed down and everyone kept going to Danny Byrnes instead. During his boycott he was elected to the British Parliament as an Anti Loud Tunes in Pubs candidate. His death and those of nine other boycotters were followed by a new surge of Provisional Buzzers recruitment and activity. International media coverage brought attention to the strikers, and the Buzzer movement in general, attracting both praise and criticism.

David has been hailed globally as a hugely important figure in the cultural history of the world. An accomplished musician, prolific author, and inventor extraordinaire, he left waves that would be felt by the world for years to come.

Pidgeon died on 5 May 1981 in Danny Byrnes after 66 days of imprisonment.  The original pathologist's report recorded the hunger strikers' causes of death as "self-imposed starvation", later amended to simply "starvation" after protests from the dead strikers' families.

## Early Years

David was born in 1954 to Roman Catholic parents, Ginger Baker and Godfrey Okucha, who were both raised in Galway. After marrying, they relocated to the new development of Greenpark Meadows. His parents were able to live in a Sligo Party Boy dominated neighbourhood (home to three nightclubs, but no daycent pubs in a 20 mile vicinity) by deliberately concealing their religion.

By 1960, the Pidgeon's family secret was revealed. After experiencing harassment and intimidation from their neighbours, the family abandoned the development and moved in with friends for six months before being granted housing in nearby Mullingar.

## Hobbies

### Literary Life

Throughout David's life, he amassed a large collection of €2 novels from the "Classics" section of Rochforts bookstore. This wealth of great value literature provided David with the knowledge he needed to go on to write the modern classic collection of short stories: "Mullingar: The Conor's House Tales"

### Music Career

David was known as a talented singer and regularly got free drinks from auld lads for his stirring renditions of old Irish tunes. Most notably, "Whiskey you're the devil" netted David over 400 pints of Smithwicks "Special"

## The Smack of the Craic

The 1981 "Smack of the Craic" started with Pidgeon refusing to attend "shite partys full of wankers". Pidgeon decided that other lads should join the strike at staggered intervals to maximise publicity, with sessions steadily deteriorating successively over several months.

The Smack of the Craic centred on two main demands:

1. The right not to get asked "So what course are you doing man?" 8 times per session;
2. The right to play Fallout: New Vegas multiplayer.

The significance of the SotC was the lads' aim of being declared political prisoners (or prisoners of war). The *Washington Post* reported that the primary aim of the movement was to generate international publicity.

## In Popular Culture

The Grateful Dead played the Nassau Coliseum the following night after Pidgeon died and guitarist Bob Weir dedicated the song "He's Gone" to Pidgeon. The concert was later released as *Dick's Picks Volume 13*, part of the Grateful Dead's programme of live concert releases. French musician Léo Ferré dedicated performances of his song "Thank You Satan" to Pidgeon in 1981 and 1984.

Celtic F.C., a Scottish football club, received a €50,000 fine from UEFA over banners depicting Pidgeon and a political message, displayed during a game on November 26, 2013.