The personnel gate to the main guard office.

HM Prison Maze (known colloquially as The H Blocks, Long Kesh or The Maze) is a disused prison sited at the former Royal Air Force station at Long Kesh (it is still called Long Kesh by most Irish republicans and loyalist paramilitaries) near Lisburn, nine miles outside Belfast, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The name "Maze" is taken from the village of the same name near the prison. The prison and its inmates have played a prominent role in recent Irish history, notably in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike. The prison was closed in 2000 and razing began on 30 October 2006. Her Majestys Prison (HMP) Maze (known colloqually as The Maze) is a disused prison sited at the former RAF station at Long Kesh (it is still called Long Kesh by many Irish Republicans) near Lisburn, nine miles outside Belfast, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Northern Ireland Prison Service is an executive agency of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) established on 1 April 1995. ... Image File history File links Long_Kesh_Prison. ... Image File history File links Long_Kesh_Prison. ... Her Majestys Prison Service is the British Executive Agency reporting to the Home Office tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own Prison Services). ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... RAF Long Kesh was a Royal Air Force station near Lisburn, Northern Ireland from 1941, until 1971. ... Irish Republicanism is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a united independent republic. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Antrim Area: 2,844 km² Population (est. ... Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official languages English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, BSL, NISL, ISL Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Ian Paisley  - Deputy First Minister... Ireland is an island in the north-western Europe. ... A mural in Derrys Bogside, commemorating Irish hunger strikers. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Background

The entrance to Compound 19, which during internment, was commanded by Gusty Spence-a Ulster Volunteer Force commander.

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 August 9, 1971. The police and army arrested 342 republicans, 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.^[1]. Those behind Operation Demetrius were accused of bungling, by arresting many of the wrong people and using out of date information. Later, some loyalists were also arrested. By 1972 there were 924 internees and by the end of internment on 5 December 1975 1,981 people had been detained; 1,874 of whom were Catholic and 107 Protestants^[2]. Image File history File linksMetadata Compound_19. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Compound_19. ... Augustus Spence (born 28th June 1933) is a former member of the Ulster Volunteer Force and a leading loyalist politician. ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (more commonly referred to as the UVF) are a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. ... For other uses, see Internment (disambiguation). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... Long Kesh Internment Camp was the main location for Operation Demetrius internees. ... The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... A Republican mural in Belfast depicting the hunger strikes of 1981. ... A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

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 internees and their supporters agitated for improvements in their conditions and status; they saw themselves as political prisoners rather than common criminals. In July 1972 William Whitelaw introduced Special Category Status for those sentenced for crimes relating to the civil violence. There were 1,100 Special Category prisoners at that time. The Nissen hut is a prefabricated shelter that consists of a sheet of corrugated steel bent into half a cylinder and planted in the ground with its axis horizontal. ... A political prisoner is someone held in prison or otherwise detained, perhaps under house arrest, because their ideas or image are deemed by a government to either challenge or threaten the authority of the state. ... William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, KT, CH, MC, PC, DL (June 28, 1918 - July 1, 1999), commonly known as Willie Whitelaw, was a British Conservative politician. ... In July 1972, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland William Whitelaw, granted Special Category Status to all prisoners convicted of scheduled terrorist crimes. ...

"Special Category" status for convicted paramilitary-linked criminals gave them the same privileges previously available only to internees. These privileges included free association between prisoners, extra visits, food parcels and the right to wear their own clothes rather than prison uniforms (Crawford 1979).

However, Special Category Status was short-lived. As part of the government's policy of "criminalisation", and coinciding with the end of internment, the new Secretary of State, Merlyn Rees, ended Special Category Status from March 1, 1976. 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 HM Prison Maze. Existing prisoners remained in separate compounds and retained their Special Category status with the last prisoner to hold this status released in 1986. Some prisoners changed from being Special Category prisoners to being common criminals within the space of several hours; 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. 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.^[3] In several countries, Secretary of State is a senior government position. ... Merlyn Rees, later Baron Merlyn-Rees of Cilfynydd, PC (18 December 1920 - 5 January 2006) was a British Labour party Member of Parliament from 1963 until 1992. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brendan The Dark Hughes (b. ...

H-Blocks

A view along the corridor of one of the wings of H4.

Prisoners convicted of terrorist offences after March 1, 1976 were housed in the eight new "H-Blocks" that had been constructed at Long Kesh, now officially HM Prison Maze. Prisoners without Special Category status began protesting for its return immediately after they were transferred to the H-Blocks. Their first act of defiance, initiated by Kieran Nugent was to refuse to wear the prison uniforms, stating that convicted criminals wear uniforms, not political prisoners. Not allowed their own clothes, they wrapped themselves in bedsheets. Prisoners participating in the protest were "on the blanket". By 1978 more than 300 men had joined the protest. The British Government refused to yield. Prison guards soon refused to let the blanket protesters use the toilets without proper uniforms. The prisoners refused, and instead began to defecate within their own cells, smearing excrement on the walls. This began the "Dirty Blanket Protest". But again the new 1979 government of Margaret Thatcher stood firm. Image File history File linksMetadata H-block_corridor. ... Image File history File linksMetadata H-block_corridor. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The blanket protest was part of a dispute involving Provisional IRA and Irish National Liberation Army prisoners held in the Maze prison (Long Kesh) in Northern Ireland. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC (born October 13, 1925), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in office from 1979 to 1990. ...

Hunger strike

Main article: 1981 Irish hunger strike

Republicans outside the prison took the battle to the media and both sides fought for public support. Inside the prison the prisoners took another step and organised a hunger strike. A mural in Derrys Bogside, commemorating Irish hunger strikers. ... A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt or to achieve a goal such as a policy change. ...

On October 27, 1980, seven Republican prisoners refused food and demanded political status. In December they called off the hunger strike when the government appeared to concede their demands. However, the government immediately reverted to their previous stance, confident the prisoners would not start another strike. Bobby Sands, the leader of the Provisional IRA prisoners, and members of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) began a second action on March 1, 1981. Outside the prison in a major publicity coup, Sands was nominated for Parliament and won the Fermanagh & South Tyrone by-election, 1981 (April). But the British government was still resisting and on May 5, after 66 days on hunger strike, Sands died. More than 100,000 people attended Bobby Sands's funeral in Belfast. Another nine hunger strikers died by the end of August before the hunger strike was called off in October. The British government effectively conceded to the prisoners' demands over the next few months, granting them Political Status in everything but name. October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Robert Gerard Sands (Irish: [1][2]), commonly known as Bobby Sands (9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981), was an Irish Provisional IRA member who died on hunger strike whilst in prison for the possession of firearms. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) is a paramilitary group which aimed, through the use of violence, to achieve three goals: (i) British withdrawal from Ireland, (ii) the political unification of Ireland through the merger of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland , and (iii) the creation of an all... The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) is an Irish republican paramilitary organization which was formed on December 8, 1974. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The by-election held in Fermanagh and South Tryrone on April 9, 1981 is considered by many to be the most significant by-election held in Northern Ireland since the beginning of The Troubles. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (126th in leap years). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ...

Breakouts and attempted breakouts

On September 25, 1983, the Maze suffered the largest break-out of prisoners from a British prison. 38 prisoners hijacked a prison meals lorry and smashed their way out. One prison officer, James Ferris, died of a heart attack while being held captive at knifepoint, and another five were injured. Nineteen of the prisoners were soon recaptured, but the remainder escaped. One of the escapees was later involved in the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing. September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Grand Hotel, Brighton, 2004 The Brighton hotel bombing was the bombing by the Provisional IRA of the Grand Hotel in Brighton in the early morning of October 12, 1984. ...

Eight Republican prisoners tunneled out with tools brought into the high security Prison by William Muldowney, Leader of the Irish Catholic INLA Commission in the United States, who was dressed as a visiting Catholic Priest giving Mass in the prison. The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) was formed on 8 December 1974 as the military wing of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement (a political wing, the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP), was formed the same day) by Seamus Costello and other activists who had left or been forced out of...

In March 1997, an IRA escape attempt was foiled when a 40ft underground tunnel was found. The tunnel, which was fitted with electric lighting, led from H-block 7 and was only 80ft short of the perimeter wall. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In December 1997, IRA prisoner Liam Averill escaped from the prison dressed as a woman during a Christmas party for prisoners' children. Christmas is an annual holiday that marks the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. ...

Organisation

Over the 1980s the British government slowly introduced changes, granting what some would see as political status in all but name. Republican and loyalist prisoners were housed according to group. They organised themselves along military lines and exercised wide control over their respective H-Blocks. The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) leader Billy Wright was killed in December 1997 by Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoners. The 1980s refers to the years of and between 1980 and 1989. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) is a loyalist terrorist group in Northern Ireland which broke away from the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and was led by the late Billy Wright. ... Billy Wright (July 7, 1960 – December 27, 1997) was a Northern Irish terrorist, a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and leader of the extremist Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) is an Irish republican paramilitary organization which was formed on December 8, 1974. ...

Peace process

The prisoners also played a significant role in the Northern Ireland peace process. On January 9, 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 Defense Association/Ulster Freedom Fighters (UDA/UFF) including Johnny Adair and Michael Stone. They had voted for their political representatives to pull out of talks. Shortly after Mowlam's visit, they changed their minds, allowing their representatives to continue talks that would lead to the Good Friday Agreement of April 10, 1998. Afterwards, the prison was emptied of its paramilitary prisoners as the groups they represented agreed to the ceasefire. In the two years following the agreement, 428 prisoners were released. On September 29, 2000, the remaining four prisoners at Maze were transferred to other establishments in Northern Ireland and the Maze prison was closed. When discussing the history of Northern Ireland, the peace process is generally considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 IRA ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of The Troubles, the Belfast (or Good Friday) Agreement, and subsequent political developments. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... The Right Honourable Marjorie Mo Mowlam (September 18, 1949 - August 19, 2005) was a British politician, former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Labour MP. Her personal charisma, reputation for plain speaking and successful fight against a brain tumour led her to be perceived by many as one of... The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is a loyalist paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland, outlawed as a terrorist group in the UK and Republic of Ireland, which is perceived by its supporters as defending the unionist community from Irish Republican terrorism. ... Johnny Adair (nickname: Mad Dog, 1963-) was the leader of C Company of the loyalist paramilitary organisation Ulster Freedom Fighters, a cover name of the Ulster Defence Association. ... Michael Stone (born circa 1955 in Belfast) is a loyalist paramilitary from the Braniel estate in east Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was signed in Belfast on April 10, 1998 by the British and Irish Governments and endorsed by most Northern Ireland political parties. ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Future

A monitoring group was set up on 14 January 2003 to debate the future of the 360 acre site. With close motorway and rail links, there were many proposals including a museum; a multi-purpose sports stadium and an office, hotel and leisure village. In January 2006 the government unveiled a masterplan ^[4] for the site incorporating many of these proposals, including a 45,000 seat national multi-sport stadium for football, rugby and Gaelic Games. This proposal has raised concerns among sports fans, particularly Rugby and Football fans and online petitions such as the one at Stadium For Belfast have been created to run alongside fan surveys. More detailed information can be found on the official website.

In October 2006, demolition work started in preparation for construction on the site.

See also

• 1981 Irish Hunger Strike

A mural in Derrys Bogside, commemorating Irish hunger strikers. ...

References

1. ^ Coogan, Tim Pat. (1995) The Troubles: Ireland's ordeal 1966-1996 and the search for peace London: Hutchinson. (Page 126)
2. ^ University of Ulster's CAIN archive
3. ^ Bobby Sands:Nothing but An Unfinished Song, Denis O'Hearn (2006), Pluto Books. ISBN 0-7453-2572-6
4. ^ "First peek at Maze masterplan", BBC News, 2006-01-30. Retrieved on 2006-10-18.

• Crawford, Colin. 1979. "Long Kesh: an alternative perspective."

The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ...

External links

• BBC: Inside the Maze, a history
• Jonathan Glancey , New Statesman, May 31, 2004 Hell on earth
• Site photographs
• CNN Special on the Maze
• Luxury hotel, equestrian centre, cinema complex - welcome to the new Maze — The Guardian newspaper article, 31 May 2006
• Inside Long Kesh Irish documentary about The Maze prison released after its closure.