Her Majesty's Prison Maze (previously Long Kesh Detention Centre and known colloquially as the Maze Prison, The Maze, the H Blocks or Long Kesh) was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from mid-1971 to mid-2000.. However, weddings did take place here, as well as graduations for prisoners who undertook Open University degrees in the prison. PRONI ref: INF/7/A/8/10, Audio-described tour of the Compounds / Cages at Maze and Long Kesh | PMA, Audio-described tour of the Hospital at Maze and Long Kesh | PMA, Audio-described tour of the H-Blocks at Maze and Long Kesh | PMA. The guards ordered attack dogs upon the republican prisoners as they were moved to other cell blocks. Why do you think he described Long Kesh as a prisoner of war camp? Some was looking after the tea facilities and stuff like that, others was cleaning out the hut. TWO former republican prisoners who were admitted to Crumlin Road Gaol in the 1970's have been awarded a five-figure sum for abuse they suffered as children whilst detained in the prison. [14], Finucane continued to the pedestrian gate where he stabbed the officer controlling the gate, and two officers who had just entered the prison. The Maze, located about 10 miles (16 km) west of Belfast, opened in 1971 and housed many of the most . These so-called patriots need to be exposed for the agents they are, and for their extensive links to British nazis and Loyalists. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . During the extradition hearing of fugitive and Maze Prison escapee James J. Smyth at the U.S. district court in San Francisco, Maze prison governor John Baxter admitted that guards brutalised the returning inmates following the 1983 breakout and later lied in court by denying the prisoners had suffered dog bites. A place for discussions about Irish history. WILLIAM 'PLUM' SMITH'S BOOK, Inside Man: Loyalists of Long Kesh - The Untold Story, gives a personal account of his imprisonment as a young man from the Shankill Road. But having said that, it all depended on what cage you were in and it all depended on who your mates were, basically how you got your day in., [L] I was remanded here, it wasnt just all internees, ordinary prisoners were here too as well as you, worked the kitchens and all that and delivered the food out to the different cages. INLAIrish National Liberation Army. These cookies do not store any personal information. Ferris had already been stabbed three times in the chest, and before he could raise the alarm he collapsed. [10][19] A pathologist determined that the stab wounds Ferris suffered would not have killed a healthy man. So after a shower and stuff the compound would have come to life. Bobby Storey and Gerry Kelly had started working as orderlies in H7, which allowed them to identify weaknesses in the security systems, and six handguns had been smuggled into the prison. There must have been over a hundred men, all with long, dirty, greasy hair, long beards some longer than others totally unkempt. Jailed Loyalists and Republicans were freed from prison today, as the final wave of prisoner releases got underway in Northern Ireland. The RUC and army arrested 342 Irish nationalists, but key Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) members had been tipped off and 104 of those arrested were released when it emerged they had no paramilitary connections. In this year, political prisoners were also granted Special Category Status (which granted them privileges formerly available only to internees). 01. The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) leader Billy Wright was shot dead in December 1997 by two Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoners.[13]. He joined the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in his hometown of Portadown around 1975. Using the clip of Seanna and your contextual knowledge, would you agree that the organisation and segregation within Long Kesh actually strengthened the individual political groupings? Stream Loyalist Long Kesh Prison by bertyss on desktop and mobile. Portlaoise Prison Portlaoise County Laois H Blocks Long Kesh Lisburn County Antrim BT27 5RP . How useful is the clip of William for an historian studying life in the cages/ compounds of Long Kesh? The tunnel was fitted with electric lights, and was 80 feet (24m) from the outside wall, having already breached the block's perimeter wall. star star star . All naked to the waist, just wearing the prison, the trousers from the prison uniform. The army camp was closed in September 2000. Because they were the first compounds that were built. And then they followed in and they battered everybody stupid, boy. In March 1997, an IRA escape attempt was foiled when a 40ft (12m) tunnel was found. He has nothing to lose. But upon opening the door Id have been standing there waiting on him cos I would have warmed up in the cubicle with some stretching exercises and then Id have went out, walked round past the end of the hut to the end of the hut there next to the ablutions the shower and toilet facilities, and Id have started my daily regime of running. katherine noelle wyman; cape breton post obituaries 2022. location symbol text in word; list of female jockeys australia; mike conley house columbus ohio address There was ordinary prisoners serving the food out and there was a Newry man took exception to one of them because this prisoner was from Newry. This was in the townland of Maze, about nine miles (14km) southwest of Belfast. On 25 September 1983, the Maze saw the largest breakout of prisoners from a British prison. 49.99 + 27.50 Postage. Documentation of an attempted escape from a compound within Maze and Long Kesh Prison, 5 May 1976. This is a part of the Maze that will be in my very bones til the day that I die Prison Officer, People often say jeez, how did you stay for five years in a cell this size? and I used to say well, the biggest thing was that I didnt spend that much time in this cell. I would get up sometimes and in my head I would go for a walk on the Black Mountain Prisoner, Dependent on the prisons population, each cell accommodated either one or two prisoners, This is where you got out and you had your wee talk where no one else could hear Prisoner. Her Majesty's Prison Maze, also called Long Kesh, is a high security prison located about ten miles from Belfast in Northern Ireland's County Antrim. menu. This is a very nice hand painted and hand made Ulster loyalist example of prison art. Paul Kane was a 1983 Maze escapee who was extradited from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland in 1989. [10], Fifteen escapees were captured on the day, including four who were discovered by the RUC hiding underwater in the river Lagan using reeds to breathe. Football pitch, 1981. So you had to get up at a certain time every morning, you had to have your bed pack made, you werent allowed to lie in your bed until a specific time in the afternoon and, you know, it was regimented like that. In the two years following the agreement, 428 prisoners were released. What do you think were some of the consequences of this segregation? It is estimated that 25,000 people were imprisoned in Northern Ireland over roughly 30 years of conflict. The Maze was actually pioneering the development of control rooms Prison Officer. [53] Averill mingled with a group of prisoners' families attending a Christmas party, and escaped on the coach taking the families out of the prison. And the Brits surrounded the compound and they fired in CS gas all round. Official aerial photograph of RAF Long Kesh airfield, 28 July 1942. The prisoners were denied medical care for several days. A prefabricated building which received visitors and checked parcels. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The prison closed in September 2000 after 428 prisoners had been released under the Good Friday Agreement. Produced by Sarah McDonagh. delete_sweep Clear All close. The capacity of the proposed stadium was later adjusted to first 35,000 and then 38,000 and the organising bodies of all three sports Irish FA, Ulster Rugby and Ulster GAA agreed in principle to support the integrated scheme. In addition to 15-foot (4.6m) fences, each H-Block was encompassed by an 18-foot (5.5m) concrete wall topped with barbed wire, and all gates on the complex were made of solid steel and electronically operated. It was later to be used for housing sentenced republican and loyalist prisoners from 1972 who were initially granted 'Special . Explain your answer, using the clip and your contextual knowledge. More than 100,000 people attended Sands' funeral in Belfast. PRONI ref: INF/7/A/8/19, Youd never stop the men going to their football match. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. (A Red Hand Commando Volunteer returns to the Maze Prison and takes his 14 year old son with him). There are now plans to turn the abandoned site into a national football stadium.". One officer was stabbed with a craft knife, and another was knocked down by a blow to the back of the head. Posters in Dublin pointing out the fact that Irish fascist groups like the National Party, Irish Freedom Party and Ireland First are . [11] Averill, who was jailed for life after committing two murders, was not recaptured, and was instead given amnesty in early 2001 when he was one of a number of republican escapees to present themselves to the authorities in a two-week period. [14] Storey told the driver, "This man [Gerry Kelly] is doing 30 years and he will shoot you without hesitation if he has to. 37 prisoners climbed into the back of the lorry, while Gerry Kelly lay on the floor of the cab with a gun pointed at the driver, who was also told the cab had been booby trapped with a hand grenade. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Mackin testified that while he was in the Crumlin Road prison before trial, he was treated differently from other prisoners in that every time an officer was killed, he would either be beaten in his cell or put in solitary confinement. Words were exchanged between Malachy and the screw while he was on a visit. The site's significance is intrinsically linked with the 1969-1998 'troubles' in Northern Ireland. Adams, Sean St. James 14rs Agnew, Kieran Ahoghill 10yrs . IRA volunteers regarded themselves as prisoners of war with a duty to escape. The entire site was encircled . During the summer of 2007, 17 years after I had been released on 'License', I was presented with the opportunity to return to the Maze/Long Kesh prison. Dated to the early 1990's. Very neatly and accurately painted on the inside of the glass it displays the Ranger's.from 128252915 . On 13 December 1972, the overcrowding at Crumlin Road Prison was becoming so unmanageable that, to alleviate the pressure, it was now the turn of sentenced prisoners to be transferred to Long Kesh. A minibus would pull up, the bride in her full regalia, her bridesmaids, would step out the back of a minibus, come in and come up and have a wedding in here. Prison Chaplain, Once a week youd maybe get out to the gym Prisoner, You could have played basketball, 5 a sides, volleyball, stuff like that Prisoner, Youd never stop the men going to their football match. People are encouraged to write and send cards to the prisoners. But the gate opened the other way. Rosena Brown (Risn De Brn; born c.1945) is an Irish actress of television, cinema, and stage from Belfast, Northern Ireland who also served as an intelligence officer for the Provisional IRA. The operations room telephoned the prison's Emergency Control Room (ECR), which replied that everything was all right and that an alarm had been accidentally triggered earlier. Following the introduction of internment in August 1971, Long Kesh a disused WWII airfield near Lisburn, south of Belfast was used as an internment camp. William Smith was the first loyalist prisoner to be sent to Long Kesh, the precursor to the H-blocks of the Maze. 35.9k members in the IrishHistory community. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. [2][3] On 31 October 1973, three leading IRA members, including former Chief of Staff Seamus Twomey, escaped from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin when a hijacked helicopter landed in the exercise yard of the prison. The Maze Prison escape (known to Irish republicans as the Great Escape) took place on 25 September 1983 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. menu. The escape was a propaganda coup for the IRA, and a British government minister faced calls to resign. H-Block classroom, 1981. Watch the clip of William. . 9. On 9 January 1998, the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mo Mowlam, paid a surprise visit to the prison to talk to members of the Ulster Defence Association including Johnny Adair, Sam "Skelly" McCrory and Michael Stone. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Following the end of the policy of internment in December 1975, the cages/ compounds continued to be used for prisoners. And then that escalated into a massive riot. Loyalist Wing . COMPENSATION: Crumlin Road Gaol in North Belfast. [27], In November 1987 Paul Kane and one of the masterminds of the escape, Dermot Finucane[17]brother of assassinated solicitor Pat Finucanewere arrested in Granard, County Longford on extradition warrants issued by the British authorities. The former Maze Prison/Long Kesh in Lisburn, near Belfast, is one of the primary sites associated with the 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland. The prisoner who fired the shot was captured after being shot and wounded by a soldier in a watch tower, and the other prisoner was captured after falling. Discover (and save!) This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The hospital and part of the H-Blocks are currently listed buildings, and would remain as part of the proposed site redevelopment as a "conflict transformation centre" with support from republicans such as Martin McGuinness and opposition from unionists, who consider that this risks creating "a shrine to the IRA".[16]. Some prisoners changed from being Special Category Status prisoners to being common criminals. The dogs bit several prisoners. As an 18-year-old member of the Ulster Volunteer Force, he had been sentenced to . Introduction This paper marks an attempt to explore how identity was, and is, negotiated by two opposed groups at the shared site of Long Kesh/Maze prison, Northern Ireland. [14] At 4:12 pm the alarm was raised when an officer in the gatehouse pushed the prisoner holding him hostage out of the room and telephoned the ECR. This incident was seen by a soldier on duty in a watch tower, who reported to the British Army operations room that he had seen prison officers fighting. People often say jeez, how did you stay for five years in a cell this size? and I used to say well, the biggest thing was that I didnt spend that much time in this cell. I would get up sometimes and in my head I would go for a walk on the Black Mountain Prisoner. Following nationalist protests, some Ulster loyalists were also arrested. Opened in 1989, it was never used for regular services as it was deemed a security risk. So originally in 1971 all the internee prisoners people who werent convicted through the normal courts, people who were interned without trial something like 300 prisoners were actually moved down here into compounds 2, 3 and 4, I believe, at the time. The internees and their supporters agitated for improvements in their conditions and status; they saw themselves as political prisoners rather than common criminals. [4], However, Special Category Status was short-lived. PRONI ref: D4629/1/12/7/3, The whole architecture of the H-blocks, it is not a normal type of architecture, this is an architecture that grew out of the whole horrific conflict situation. Prison Chaplain. June 05, 2021 11:00. The Conservative government led by Margaret Thatcher did not initially give in. By this time the prisoners were struggling to maintain control in the gatehouse due to the number of hostages. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Each H-Block was constructed in the shape of a H, with a central administrative area (known as the circle) and four wings of cells (A, B, C and D wings). He had served 10 years in Long Kesh Prison (also known as the Maze) for offenses relating to the struggle for Irish independence. [6] The prisoners responded by refusing to leave their cells and, as a result, the prison officers were unable to clear them. 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