These so-called patriots need to be exposed for the agents they are, and for their extensive links to British nazis and Loyalists. Only one of the H-Blocks remains, alongside the prison . 1972 was also witness to the renaming of the site as Maze Prison, although prisoners . 1972 was also witness to the renaming of the site as Maze Prison, although prisoners continued to refer to Long Kesh. This was the location where ten men died during the 1981 hunger strike. And they put all the beds against the gate. Gerard given Governor ground groups hand happening head heard hospital Hugh huts injuries internees John kicked knee Lagan Valley later Long Kesh Loyalist morning move night Northern Ireland period pitch present priest prison officers protest received Rees refused Republican returned riot . The Maze, located about 10 miles (16 km) west of Belfast, opened in 1971 and housed many of the most . [14] Officers arriving for work were entering the gatehouse from outside the prison, and each was ordered at gunpoint to join the other hostages. This article focuses on the controversial figure of Gusty Spence, who was key to the emergence of two artists from an Ulster Loyalist paramilitary background: George Morrow and Bobby Niblock, both of whom fell under Spence's guidance in Long Kesh/the Maze prison. [19], On 25 October 1984, nineteen prisoners appeared in court on charges relating to the death of prison officer James Ferris, sixteen charged with his murder. 01. And the noise was just absolutely incredible Prisoner, the Maze was actually pioneering the development of control rooms Prison Officer. Used in 1942 by Short Bros. to assemble and test-fly Stirling bombers. The largest of Northern Ireland's prisons, it was established on the site of Long Kesh Royal Air Force Base, a World War II airfield, in the early 1970s. RME10YTG - Oct. 10, 1974 - Maze Prison in Northern Ireland set ablaze by the prisoners: View of the wreckage at the maze jail, Northern Ireland, where a cell block, the hospital, the kitchen and about 70 barrack huts were destroyed in a night of arson and rioting which ended early yesterday. Abstract. [12], HM Prison Maze was considered one of the most escape-proof prisons in Europe. Initially, the internees were housed, with different paramilitary groups separated from each other, in Nissen huts at a disused RAF airfield that became the Long Kesh Detention Centre. The H-Blocks, eight in total, first opened in 1976. The entire site was encircled by watch towers and a perimeter wall, and also included a separate hospital building, a visiting building, multidenominational chapel and two large football pitches, alongside multiple administrative buildings. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. You couldnt escape it you see. [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. Republicans Against Fascism @RepublicansAF 22 hours ago. 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. The British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher made a statement in Ottawa during a visit to Canada, saying "It is the gravest [breakout] in our present history, and there must be a very deep inquiry". Catholics are marching for civil rights and loyalist attacks have brought the British army onto the streets to quell the riots. The H-Block from which thirty-eight PIRA prisoners escaped by taking prisoner officers hostage and hijacking a food lorry, on 25 September 1983. [13] The day after the escape, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Prior announced an inquiry would be headed by His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, James Hennessy. Ulster Unionist Party UUP Harry West Political Poster Irish British Original. Three of the 10 hunger strikers who died in Long Kesh prison in 1981 belonged to the INLA. Activists from the 32 County Sovereignty Movement stand on O'Connell Bridge, holding black flags and pictures of the hunger strikers who died during the 1981 . 49.99 + 5.99 Postage. The highlight of your week would be getting the call for a visit Prisoner. The republican prisoners who escaped but were captured and returned were forced to run a gauntlet of guard dogs which were allowed to bite them. [28] Robert Russell was extradited back to Northern Ireland in August 1988 after being captured in Dublin in 1984,[29][30] as was Paul Kane in April 1989. It held prisoners suspected of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during the Troubles, with separate wings for loyalists and for republicans. 1988-94 British broadcasting voice restrictions and Bernadette Devlin McAliskey have 7 things in common (in Unionpedia): Conservative Party (UK), HM Prison Maze, Home Secretary, Irish National Liberation Army, Irish republicanism, Peter Taylor (journalist), Ulster Defence Association. Several witnesses on behalf of James Smyth testified that ex-prisoners are frequently subject to harassment by the security forces. [18], In April 2020, the former prison was reportedly under consideration for conversion into a temporary hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.[19]. He was taken to court and convicted then returned to the jail as a common prisoner and incarcerated in the H-Blocks as an ordinary prisoner, all within the space of several hours. A man who planted a bomb on a bus during the Queen's visit to Ireland has gone on hunger strike in jail after clashing with the New IRA prison leadership. The judge acquitted all sixteen as he could not correlate the stabbing to the heart attack. Download Image. What do you think were some of the consequences of this segregation? The prison was closed in 2000 and demolition began on 30 October 2006, but on 18 April 2013 it was announced by the Northern Ireland Executive that the remaining buildings would be redeveloped into a peace centre. However, he said the officers involved had never been disciplined and there were no plans to do so. IRA volunteers regarded themselves as prisoners of war with a duty to escape. Official aerial photograph of RAF Long Kesh airfield, 28 July 1942. In the two years following the agreement, 428 prisoners were released. Area for washing, showering and disposal of overnight waste. Opened in 1989, it was never used for regular services as it was deemed a security risk. Following nationalist protests, some Ulster loyalists were also arrested. 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). Gymnasium, 1981. The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) leader Billy Wright was shot dead in December 1997 by two Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoners.[13]. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. GiollaUidir / Wikipedia / (CC BY-SA 2.5) When Northern Ireland's Prime Minister Brian Faulkner commenced internment, known as Operation Demetrius, on August 9, 1971, he said the goal was stemming the violence "preventing any kind of normal life" in . Adams, Sean St. James 14rs Agnew, Kieran Ahoghill 10yrs . The slogan was coined in the 1970s during the Troubles in Northern Ireland and variously credited to Bobby Sands or . [5], Prisoners convicted of scheduled offences after 1 March 1976 were housed in the "H-Blocks" that had been constructed. It was situated at the former Royal Air Force station of Long Kesh, on the outskirts of Lisburn.This was in the townland of Maze, about nine miles . A large windowless building which contained a basketball court and weightlifting equipment. So after a shower and stuff the compound would have come to life. [14] A rearguard was left behind to watch over hostages and keep the alarm from being raised until they believed the escapees were clear of the prison, when they returned to their cells. But the gate opened the other way. Archive of Steve Jensen Design www.stevejensen.design, It wasnt menial work, it was something that you learned a trade at Prisoner, Youd have walked up here and come up, by the football pitches, and up into the VTC Prisoner. [14] James Prior announced that the prison's governor had resigned, and that there would be no ministerial resignations as a result of the report's findings. https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/events/intern/docs/devlin.htm, http://www.epic.org.uk/images/custom/uploads/129/files/Prison-History.pdf. And then we all had designated jobs. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Several prisoners brought actions for damages for their treatment following the escape. Her Majesty's Prison Maze (previously Long Kesh Detention Centre, and known colloquially as The Maze or H-Blocks) was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from August 1971 to September 2000.. "H-Blocks" redirects here. Football pitch, 1981. Cage Six was adjacent to a Loyalist Cage, and the only contact between the two was in the form of a little Loyalist black cat. Each H-Block also had its own individual control room. And you got your day in by studying, by walking the yard, by running around the yard in the mornings, doing a bit of training, by doing handicrafts, by political discussions, reading, arguing. [14][19] The report also placed blame with the designers of the prison, the Northern Ireland Office and successive prison governors who had failed to improve security. One officer is being treated for a suspected fractured skull. Internment, used several times in Northern Ireland's short history, was reintroduced by its Stormont government on 9 August 1971 (McGuffin 1973). [53] On 10 December 1997 IRA prisoner Liam Averill, serving a life sentence after being convicted of the murder of two Protestants, escaped from the Maze dressed as a woman. play_arrow playlist_add rate it ! It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. HM Prison Maze. Why do you think he described Long Kesh as a prisoner of war camp? 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. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for H Blocks : An Architecture of the Conflict in and about Northern Ireland by Louise Purbrick (2023, Hardcover) at the best online prices at eBay! It is a slogan of Irish Republicanism. 1. Inside Man: Loyalists of Long Kesh -., Smith, William 9781780730646 | eBay William Stephen Wright (7 July 1960 - 27 December 1997) was a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary leader during the Troubles. Stream Loyalist Long Kesh Prison by bertyss on desktop and mobile. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. search. HM Prison Maze (also known as Long Kesh) was a maximum security prison considered to be one of the most escape-proof prisons in Europe, and held prisoners convicted of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during the Troubles. Existing prisoners remained in separate compounds and retained their Special Category Status with the last prisoner to hold this status being released in 1986. A prefabricated building which received visitors and checked parcels. 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. The Flames of Long Kesh, 15-16 October, 1974: And . Ulster loyalist prison art Glasgow Rangers, U.V.F., U.D.A., long Kesh, Maze. On 10 August 1984 loyalist prisoner Benjamin Redfern, a member of the Ulster Defence Association, attempted to escape from HM Prison Maze by hiding in the back of a refuse lorry, but died after being caught in the crushing mechanism. The internees and their supporters agitated for improvements in their conditions and status; they saw themselves as political prisoners rather than common criminals. The Government's infrastructure organisation, the Strategic Investment Board (SIB), was tasked with taking forward the proposed stadium idea and appointed one of its senior advisers, Tony Whitehead, to manage the project. He had served 10 years in Long Kesh Prison (also known as the Maze) for offenses relating to the struggle for Irish independence. [14] Storey told the driver, "This man [Gerry Kelly] is doing 30 years and he will shoot you without hesitation if he has to. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Courses were offered in motor-vehicle body repair, welding, electrics and joinery. Dependent on the prisons population, each cell accommodated either one or two prisoners. In this year, political prisoners were also granted Special Category Status (which granted them privileges formerly available only to internees). [6] The prisoners responded by smashing the furniture in their cells, forcing the prison authorities to remove the remaining furniture from the cells, leaving only blankets and mattresses. Long Kesh, Lisburn, County Antrim name home area sentence. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 120.00 Republicans have claimed that pensioner . [17] The site is now known as Balmoral Park. The incidences of cancer among republican prisoners involved in the revolt in Long Kesh have led many to believe that these illnesses and subsequent deaths can be linked to the British Army's use of CR gas . The H-Blocks, eight in total, first opened in 1976. Originally, each wing had its own yard, with an air lock between adjacent yards. Give two reasons. Numerous prison officers took part in the mistreatment of the returned escapees. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. [6][7] Prisoners "on the blanket" reported that one of the things that caused the most stress was "waiting for the moment the cell door would open and they would be dragged out, naked and defenseless, and then pounded into semi-consciousness before being thrown back in again". 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. The Maze Prison Documentary - But the British government still resisted and on 5 May, after 66 days on hunger strike, Sands died. 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. The prison closed in September 2000 after 428 prisoners had been released under the Good Friday Agreement. Following the introduction of internment in August 1971, Long Kesh a disused World War 2 airfield near Lisburn, south of Belfast was used as an internment camp. [52], In March 1997 a 40-foot (12m) tunnel was discovered in H7 at the Maze Prison. 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. You had four huts which were in they had four huts which were in one compound, you had an ablutions block and a canteen area which we converted into a five a side area. Many of the escapees were rounded up and returned to the Maze immediately after the escape. The tunnel led from H-Block 7 and was 80ft (24m) short of the perimeter wall. And the noise was just absolutely incredible Prisoner. HM Prison Maze (also known as Long Kesh) was a maximum security prison considered to be one of the most escape-proof prisons in Europe. Used for exercise and outdoor recreation by the prisoners. menu. [13][17] Four more escapees were captured over the next two days, including Hugh Corey and Patrick McIntyre who were captured following a two-hour siege at an isolated farmhouse. It was possible to gain qualifications through the centre and obtain City and Guilds certificates. Portlaoise Prison Portlaoise County Laois H Blocks Long Kesh Lisburn County Antrim BT27 5RP . More than 100,000 people attended Sands' funeral in Belfast. [12], During the 1980s, the British government slowly introduced changes, granting what some would see as political status in all but name. As Northern Ireland's Troubles intensified, its prison population increased exponentially, with as many as 15,000 loyalists incarcerated for politically motivated crimes. 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