As an 18-year-old member of the Ulster Volunteer Force, he had been sentenced to . [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. [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". Each wing was self-contained and contained 25 cells. Why do you think he described Long Kesh as a prisoner of war camp? [18], In April 2020, the former prison was reportedly under consideration for conversion into a temporary hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.[19]. 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. 12.50 + 3.00 Postage. A place of incarceration and liberation, political debate and historical denial, the H Block cell units of Long Kesh/Maz. [47][48] On 7 July 1991, IRA prisoners Nessan Quinlivan and Pearse McAuley escaped from HM Prison Brixton, where they were being held on remand. Not allowed their own clothes, they wrapped themselves in bedsheets. [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. A multi-storey building, containing the emergency control room and various offices. Abstract. [1], Following the introduction of internment in 1971, Operation Demetrius was implemented by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and British Army with raids for 452 suspects on 9 August 1971. The other prisoners escaped over the fence, and by 4:18 pm the main gate was closed and the prison secured, after 35 prisoners had breached the prison perimeter. More than 100,000 people attended Sands' funeral in Belfast. By 1972, there were 924 internees and by the end of internment on 5 December 1975, 1,981 people had been detained; 1,874 (94.6%) of whom were Catholic/Irish nationalist and 107 (5.4%) Ulster Protestants/loyalists.[3]. The H-Blocks, eight in total, first opened in 1976. Special Category Status for convicted paramilitary-linked prisoners gave them the same privileges previously available only to internees. Documentation of an attempted escape from a compound within Maze and Long Kesh Prison, 5 May 1976. The prison warders simply patrolled the perimeter of the camp. And he fired the dinner at him. [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. A RETURN TO COMPOUND 19 - 2007. Upon their return to the Maze, prison officers kicked and punched the returned escapees and repeatedly called them "Fenian bastards." [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. 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. Brendan Hughes, an IRA prisoner, had been imprisoned with Special Category Status in Cage 11, but was alleged to have been involved in a fight with warders. 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. Never before told from the Loyalist perspective, Plum Smith shares his story of life within Long Kesh prison during the Troubles. 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. This is a very nice hand painted and hand made Ulster loyalist example of prison art. They escaped using a gun that had been smuggled into the prison, wounding a motorist as they fled. THE BURNING of Long Kesh and the events of 15/16 October 1974 is one of the most significant events in the history of the conflict and . Inside Man: Loyalists of Long Kesh -., Smith, William 9781780730646 | eBay 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 . . But the staff within the cages tended to, especially in the early days, I think it probably relaxed after the H-Blocks opened in 1976, when people realised that it was really going to be a long haul. [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. It held prisoners suspected of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during the Troubles, with separate wings for loyalists and for republicans. It was later to be used for housing sentenced republican and loyalist prisoners from 1972 who were initially granted 'Special . Those convicted of "scheduled terrorist offences" after that date were housed in the eight new "H-Blocks" that had been constructed at Long Kesh, now officially named Her Majesty's Prison Maze (HMP Maze). The highlight of your week would be getting the call for a visit Prisoner. 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Staff Reporter. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . RM E07W9E - Dublin, Ireland. Within one month approximately 60 Loyalist Special Category prisoners were relocated to Long Kesh. 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. And other people that didnt run first thing in the mornings would have been getting up and doing their daily routine, getting washed and shaved and having breakfast and stuff. A place for discussions about Irish history. your own Pins on Pinterest The Maze was actually pioneering the development of control rooms Prison Officer. The Conservative government led by Margaret Thatcher did not initially give in. By 1978, more than 300 men had joined the protest. [38][39] Tony Kelly was arrested in Letterkenny, County Donegal in October 1997 but was not extradited. The site is situated outside of Lisburn, off the M1 motorway, on the brownfield Maze/Long Kesh, former prison and air base for the RAF. Determined to play his part, he goes to London to join the IRA. [P] Oh straight in. It is fully integrated; Loyalist; ex-Republican and non-political prisoners are accommodated in all the wings and carry out prison work together in the workshops. 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? [10][17] The British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary immediately activated a contingency plan and by 4:25 pm a cordon of vehicle checkpoints was in place around the prison, and others were later in place in strategic positions across Northern Ireland, resulting in the recapture of one prisoner at 11:00 pm. The court in Northern Ireland found that there was a widespread conspiracy to conceal the fact of the assault of the prisoners. I jumped at the chance, especially as I was able to . 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 . You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Words were exchanged between Malachy and the screw while he was on a visit. The slogan was coined in the 1970s during the Troubles in Northern Ireland and variously credited to Bobby Sands or . 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. 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". [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. June 05, 2021 11:00. 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. They crashed into another car near the gate and abandoned the car. Read "H Blocks An Architecture of the Conflict in and about Northern Ireland" by Louise Purbrick available from Rakuten Kobo. A small single storey building used by remand prisoners (prisoners awaiting trial). And from then til lunch generally would have been your own free time, and that would have been taken up with a number of different things, people done classes, people studied, done degrees and stuff like that., In the cages you had no contact with the prison warders. But it was quick to put up, and it was sufficient for the demand at that time of the prison population. The circle was an administration area, containing the control room of each H-Block. Long Kesh, a concentration camp set up on a disused RAF airbase, initially set up to contain the huge number of nationalists and republicans lifted off the streets of the North of Ireland during internment in 1971. . 49.99 + 5.99 Postage. The internees and their supporters agitated for improvements in their conditions and status; they saw themselves as political prisoners rather than common criminals. In October 2006, demolition work started in preparation for construction on the site. The site's significance is intrinsically linked with the 1969-1998 'troubles' in Northern Ireland. He joined the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in his hometown of Portadown around 1975. Two large football pitches were used on a rota system by the prisoners. [10][13] Leading unionist politician Ian Paisley called on Nicholas Scott, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to resign. play_arrow playlist_add rate it ! 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. On 25 September 1983, the Maze saw the largest breakout of prisoners from a British prison. Two large football pitches were used on a visit visit prisoner of taking part in armed paramilitary during... Prison art of life within Long Kesh as a prisoner of war camp as a prisoner of camp. 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