Kieran Doherty was elected for Cavan-Monaghan while on hunger strike in the Maze Prison where he was serving sentences for possession of firearms and explosives, and for hijacking.

During RTÉ's election results programme presented by Brian Farrell, Vincent Browne gives his reaction to the returns for Doherty after the first count in Cavan-Monaghan. Kieran Doherty died at the age of 25, having gone without food for 73 days.

The first of five general elections held during the 1980s saw Charles Haughey and Garret Fitzgerald fighting their first elections as leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael respectively.

H-Block candidates ran in the the election in support of the Republican prisoners on hunger strike in the Maze Prison in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The prisoners had gone on hunger strike, aiming to secure the reintroduction of political status for Republican prisoners.

This clip is taken from special edition of 'Today Tonight' covering the 1981 general election results.

'Today Tonight' was a RTÉ current affairs programme with up-to-the-minute coverage of events at home and abroad. 'Today Tonight' was first broadcast on Monday, 6 October, 1980 and ran for 12 years until 1992. Edited by Joe Mulholland, the original presenters included Barry Cowan, Brian Farrell and Olivia O'Leary. 'Today Tonight' aired from Monday to Thursday on RTÉ 1.

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