Recorded in 2004. menu. William Smith was the first loyalist prisoner to be sent to Long Kesh, the precursor to the H-blocks of the Maze. Along with ex-UVF men Gusty Spence and David Ervine, he went on to . Upon their return to the Maze, prison officers kicked and punched the returned escapees and repeatedly called them "Fenian bastards." [4][5][6] The escape was commemorated in a song The Provie Birdie (Helicopter Song) by the Wolfhound. The prisoners took prison officers hostage using three handguns that had been smuggled in, took their uniforms and shot their way out of the prison. In fact, despite the opening of the H-Blocks in 1976, they remained in use until 1988, with people who had been sentenced before 1976 finishing their sentence in the cages/ compounds and anyone sentenced after March 1976 going into the H-Blocks. LOYALIST MAZE PRISON ( LONG KESH ) HAND MADE WALLET, IN PERFECT UNUSED CONDITION , MEASURES 6 X 4 . As an 18-year-old member of the Ulster Volunteer Force, he had been sentenced to . [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. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Republican and loyalist prisoners were housed according to group. The central point of the H-Block, it was actually an oblong space. It held prisoners suspected of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during the Troubles, with separate wings for loyalists and for republicans. In July 1972, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, William Whitelaw introduced Special Category Status for those sentenced for crimes relating to the civil violence. 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. And that was every morning I done 10 miles around here: 70 laps. 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. Former Loyalist prisoner Ronnie-Flint-McCullough remembers meeting Billings for the first time 44 years ago in Long Kesh prison camp. MADE IN A TAN LEATHER WITH ULSTER EMBOSSED ON ONE SIDE AND PORTADOWN ON THE OTHER, INSIDE IS I They escaped using a gun that had been smuggled into the prison, wounding a motorist as they fled. 1. The H-Blocks, eight in total, first opened in 1976. PRONI ref: INF/7/A/8/15, H-Block classroom, 1981. The map shows both the cages and compounds and the H-blocks, and therefore dates from some time after 1976. The slogan was coined in the 1970s during the Troubles in Northern Ireland and variously credited to Bobby Sands or . Officer James Ferris ran from the gatehouse towards the pedestrian gate attempting to raise the alarm, pursued by Dermot Finucane. star star star . All naked to the waist, just wearing the prison, the trousers from the prison uniform. The official inquiry into the escape placed most of the blame onto prison staff, who in turn blamed the escape on political interference in the running of the prison. 35.9k members in the IrishHistory community. [23] Gerard McDonnell was captured in Glasgow in June 1985 along with four other IRA members, including Brighton bomber Patrick Magee, and convicted of conspiring to cause sixteen explosions across England. This area contained the Staff Club, the Governors lounge and accommodation, staff lockers and staff car park. 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. Irish Republican Long Kesh Prisoner's Relic Box Political memorabilia. It held prisoners suspected of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during the Troubles, with separate wings for loyalists and for republicans. Another nine hunger strikers (members of both the IRA and the INLA) died by the end of August before the hunger strike was called off in October. People are encouraged to write and send cards to the prisoners. 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 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. 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. You had the very basics. Jailed Loyalists and Republicans were freed from prison today, as the final wave of prisoner releases got underway in Northern Ireland. In later years, adjacent yards were combined. A small single storey building used by remand prisoners (prisoners awaiting trial). 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. Fifteen members of the staff of the prison, formerly Long Kesh internment camp, were injured in hand . But in the early days when we were in this sort of frame of mind freedom: 74, freedom: 75 we led a fairly militarised type of existence, it was very military structures. 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 . [P] Oh straight in. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Ulster loyalist prison art Glasgow Rangers, U.V.F., U.D.A., long Kesh, Maze. RM E07W9E - Dublin, Ireland. . When other staff responded via an intercom, a senior officer said while being held at gunpoint that the alarm had been triggered accidentally. There was plenty of heartache and plenty of craic in that section of the jail Prisoner. [53][54] He was not apprehended and was granted an amnesty in 2001. Archive of Steve Jensen Design www.stevejensen.design, 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. [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. 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. Determined to play his part, he goes to London to join the IRA. 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? However, weddings did take place here, as well as graduations for prisoners who undertook Open University degrees in the prison. It replaced portacabin visiting facilities that originally served the H-Blocks when they opened in 1976. 59 Inside Northern Ireland's largest prison of Long Kesh, Rocky Burns described how he and his fellow loyalist prisoners would 'sing the Loyalist War songs of Ulster in . 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. Fueling the prison officers' anger was a mix of sectarianism they were almost exclusively Protestant and many had loyalist sympathies and connections and a desire for revenge. That is, of the loyalist and republican prisoners who did not escape, only the republicans were moved, beaten, kicked, bitten by dogs, and subjected to religious and political insults. [10][13] Leading unionist politician Ian Paisley called on Nicholas Scott, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to resign. Ex-prisoners from the Maze are subject to increased scrutiny by the security forces. The article charts the environment Spence presided over in jail, the . Taken from an album from the Royal Ulster Constabulary archive collection. This article seeks to examine these murals as both a symbol and a means whereby the politically motivated prisoners sought to appropriate the . 12. Some was looking after the tea facilities and stuff like that, others was cleaning out the hut. PRONI ref: INF/7/A/8/17, External view of an H-Block, 1981. Three prison staff are being treated in hospital after rioting prisoners set fire to the Long Kesh Maze prison near Belfast. [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. queue_music. The Maze Prison governor, John Baxter, acknowledged that many of the guards who are at the Maze now have been there since the 1983 escape. Play over 265 million tracks for free on SoundCloud. [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. Long Kesh. And basically you were simply left to your own devices. In the biggest prison escape in UK history, 38 Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoners escaped from H-Block 7 (H7) of the prison. During the breakout, four prison officers were stabbed, including one, James Ferris, who died of a heart attack. Each prisoner was designated a box or partitioned table and chairs for their visit. Stream Loyalist Long Kesh Prison by bertyss on desktop and mobile. 49.99 + 27.50 Postage. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. In March 1997, an IRA escape attempt was foiled when a 40ft (12m) tunnel was found. By 1974 Long Kesh had extended greatly as there were now several Loyalist Cages containing both U.V.F. The entire site was encircled . 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. Also used as a recreation room and for religious services on a Sunday. "Our day" is the date hoped for by Irish nationalists on which a united Ireland is achieved. Several witnesses on behalf of James Smyth testified that ex-prisoners are frequently subject to harassment by the security forces. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. In the biggest prison . Last week "Extreme" Republican Donal Billings was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for a plot in which he intended to kill either the Queen or another member of the Royal family in 2011. I jumped at the chance, especially as I was able to . This is a very nice hand painted and hand made Ulster loyalist example of prison art. search. Used for exercise and outdoor recreation by the prisoners. It was also a deeply unpopular move among the loyalist community. The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) leader Billy Wright was shot dead in December 1997 by two Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoners.[13]. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. Official aerial photograph of RAF Long Kesh airfield, 28 July 1942. 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. 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). [14] At 4:05 pm the officers began to resist, and an officer pressed an alarm button. [13] Prisoners had been planning the escape for several months. The prisoners were denied medical care for several days. Afterwards, the prison was emptied of its paramilitary prisoners as the groups they represented agreed to the ceasefire. A selection of clips from the archive exploring the theme from different perspectives. On 25 September 1983, the Maze saw the largest breakout of prisoners from a British prison. One officer is being treated for a suspected fractured skull. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Staff Reporter. The Maze was actually pioneering the development of control rooms Prison Officer. Chapel Plan. 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. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 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. Archive of Steve Jensen Design www.stevejensen.design, I must say it was a happy, busy place, people all seemed to be enjoying what they were doing, it wasnt like slave labour Educator. It was possible to gain qualifications through the centre and obtain City and Guilds certificates. 1994)", "An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland", "Thirty years on, the Maze reveals a secret", "2 Irishmen Shoot Their Way Out of a Prison in London", "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 19 December 1994", "Inquiry over helicopter escape-plot at Whitemoor inquiry at Whitemoor", "Prisoners on the run are granted amnesty", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maze_Prison_escape&oldid=1137906462, This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 01:01. [37] Brennan, who had married a US citizen, was deported from the United States to the Republic of Ireland in August 2009. There were 1,100 Special Category Status prisoners at that time. Ferris had already been stabbed three times in the chest, and before he could raise the alarm he collapsed. Wright resumed his UVF activities around 1986 and became commander of its Mid-Ulster Brigade . The highlight of your week would be getting the call for a visit Prisoner. The Maze and Long Kesh overview map was supplied to PMA during filming in 2007. It also included a recreation room, dental surgery and small operating theatre. [17] The site is now known as Balmoral Park. 49.99 + 5.99 Postage. Author:Smith, William. PRONI ref: INF/7/A/8/19, Youd never stop the men going to their football match. "[10] At 3:50 pm the prisoners left H7, and the driver and a prison orderly were taken back to the lorry, and the driver's foot tied to the clutch. TabLyrics. No disciplinary action was ever taken against the prison officers for their abuse of the prisoners in connection with the escape or for perjuring themselves. [L] They drove it straight into the cage? menu. 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. [8] In 1978, the British Government was found guilty and censured by the European Court of Human Rights for "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment in the interrogation procedures". June 05, 2021 11:00. . [6] At the end of April 1978, a fight occurred between a prisoner and a prison officer in H-Block 6. As part of a new British policy of "criminalisation", and coinciding with the end of internment, the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Merlyn Rees, ended Special Category Status from 1 March 1976. [13] Out of the remaining 19 escapees, 18 ended up in the republican stronghold of South Armagh where two members of the IRA's South Armagh Brigade were in charge of transporting them to safehouses,[21] and given the option of either returning to active service in the IRA's armed campaign or a job and new identity in the United States. [15], Discussion is still ongoing as to the listed status of sections of the old prison. And then that escalated into a massive riot. [26] Pdraig McKearney was killed by the SAS along with seven other members of the IRA's East Tyrone Brigade in the Loughgall ambush in May 1987, the IRA's biggest single loss of life since the 1920s. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. 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. Republican and loyalist prisoners were housed according to group. PRONI ref: INF/7/A/8/16, H-Block classroom, 1981. (A Red Hand Commando Volunteer returns to the Maze Prison and takes his 14 year old son with him). Not only were republicans and loyalists held in separate compounds/ cages, but so were the various organisations, including the UVF, UDA, Official IRA and Provisional IRA. 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. 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. Each wing was self-contained and contained 25 cells. PRONI ref: INF/7/A/8/21, Once a week youd maybe get out to the gym Prisoner, You could have played basketball, 5 a sides, volleyball, stuff like that Prisoner. Also known as the canteen. In October 2006, demolition work started in preparation for construction on the site. It also includes reflective interviews with . I was no expert on escaping or tunnelling, but every person in the hut was expected to do their duty Prisoner/Internee. Download Image. ***** List provided by: 'The Writing Cmpaign' 4110 Farmdale Road Philadelphia, PA 19154 USA tel (215-637-3728) . A large single storey building in which food was prepared for the prisoners. Prisoners participating in the protest were "on the blanket". Location: Ireland . Firstly, I will provide a general history of the site and then compare and contrast the different experiences of two groups at Long Kesh/Maze. Adams, Sean St. James 14rs Agnew, Kieran Ahoghill 10yrs . RM M9J13H - A stock picture of watch towers on the remnants of the former H Block Maze prison at Long Kesh near Lisburn Northern Ireland. 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