Career
In October 1976, McElwee took part in a planned bombing blitz on the town of Ballymena. Along with several colleagues, he was transporting one of the bombs, which exploded prematurely and blinded him in his right eye. His murder charge was reduced to manslaughter on appeal, although the original jail term stood.
In prison he became involved in the blanket protest.
He joined the 1981 Irish hunger strike and died on 8 August 1981 at the age of 23 after 62 days on the strike. In 2009, Republican Sinn Féin named their Waterford cumann after him.
He is also the subject of the Crucifucks" song The Story of Thomas McElwee.