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jpts ◊ 2020-06-12 16:46	This film was about the mass breakout of IRA prisoners from the HMP Maze at Maze in County Down on the afternoon of the 25th September 1983. In the escape, 38 IRA prisoners had seized control of the Maze H7 Block and stripped the guards of their uniforms, before hijacking a prison catering lorry and forcing the lorry's driver to drive to the gatehouse where they seized control. Out of the 38 prisoners, 20 were recaptured over the three days following the escape, the remaining 18 escapees ended up in a IRA safe house in the Republican stronghold territory of County Armagh where they either returned to service in the IRA and took part in the more IRA Bombing Campaigns or given an new identity and job in the US. Of the 20 prison guards who were injured during the escape, 13 were bashed and kicked, four were stabbed and two were shot, one guard, James Ferris was stabbed and died. It was later determined that Ferris died of a heart attack as a result of injuries sustained during the assault. After the escape, a number of escapees were either later captured or killed in the later IRA Campaigns, these were: Ciarán Fleming - Known as Kieran Fleming, Member of the IRA Derry Brigade 4th Battalion, convicted on the 25th August 1976 for the murder of Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve Officer, Linda Baggley who was shot while on foot patrol in Chapel Street, Derry on the 23rd May 1976, only to die of her wounds nine days later, returned to active service following his escape, later attempted to blow up a RUC patrol car and was drowned while escaping a SAS ambush in the Bannagh River at Kesh, County Fermanagh on the morning of the 2nd December 1984. Fleming's accomplice and IRA Volunteer, Antoine Mac Giolla Bhrighde (or known as Anthony MacBride) was shot and killed during the ambush as well as SAS B Squadron Paratrooper, Alistair Slater. Gerard McDonnell - IRA Volunteer, convicted on the 18th June 1977 for possession of bomb material found in a raid on his home in Belfast on the 2nd March 1977, fled to Glasgow and joined the IRA Glasgow Branch following his escape and took part in the planning of 16 bombing attacks across England, captured with four other IRA members, including Brighton Bomber, Patrick Magee during a raid on the IRA Safehouse in Glasgow on the 24th June 1985, later released under the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Brendan McFarlane - Known as Bik McFarlane, member of the IRA Belfast Brigade, convicted on the 15th August 1978 for the murders of five Protestant civilians who were shot in the Bayardo Bar Attack at the Bayardo Bar on Aberdeen Street in Belfast on the 13th August 1975, returned to active service following his escape, later took part in the kidnapping of supermarket executive, Don Tidey on the 24th November 1983 and the shootout at the Derrada Wood in Ballinamore, County Leitrim in the Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland Border Region on the 16th December 1983, resulting in the murders of Garda officer, Gary Sheehan and Irish Army private, Patrick Kelly, later fled to the Netherlands with fellow escapee, Gerard Kelly, captured with Kelly in the Netherlands on the 16th January 1986 and extradited to Northern Ireland on the 4th December 1986, later released in 1997. McFarlane was later charged by the Republic of Ireland for the Tidey Kidnapping in 1998 but was acquitted on the 26th June 2008 due to a lack of evidence and was awarded 15,400 euros in compensation by the European Court of Human Rights in September 2010. Gerard Kelly - Known as Gerry Kelly, IRA Volunteer, convicted and imprisoned in England on the 14th November 1973 for taking part in the bombings of the Old Bailey Court and the Ministry of Agriculture Building near Whitehall on the 8th March 1973, transferred to the Maze in April 1975, returned to active service following his escape, later fled to the Netherlands with McFarlane, captured with McFarlane in Amsterdam on the 16th January 1986 and extradited to Northern Ireland on the 4th December 1986. Séamus McElwaine - Member of the IRA South Fermanagh Brigade and Sub Commander of the IRA Fermanagh Brigade, convicted in May 1982 for the murders of Ulster Defence Regiment corporal, Aubrey Abercrombie who was shot as he was driving his tractor in Drumacabranagher near Florencecourt, County Fermanagh on the 5th February 1980 and Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve Constable, Ernest Johnston shot outside his home in Rosslea, County Fermanagh on the 23rd September 1980, returned to active service following his escape, later joined the IRA Active Service Unit in the Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland Border region, shot and killed by members of the SAS at Rosslea on the morning of the 26th April 1986. Pádraig McKearney - Known as Patrick McKearney, member of the IRA East Tyrone Brigade, convicted and sentenced to 14 imprisonment on the 23rd September 1981 after being captured by the British Army with loaded Sten Machine Gun on the 8th August 1980, returned to active service following his escape, later took part in the attack on the RUC Ballygawley Branch at Ballygawley barracks in Ballygawley, County Tyrone on the evening of the 7th December 1985, resulting in the murders of a RUC Constable, George Gilliland and a Reserve Constable, William Clements and the wounding of three other RUC officers and the later attack of the RUC Birches Branch at The Birches, County Armagh on the 11th August 1986, shot and killed with seven other members of the IRA East Tyrone Brigade by members of the SAS in a failed raid on the Loughgall police station at Loughgall, County Armagh on the night of the 8th May 1987. The shootout resulted in the death of a civilian, Anthony Hughes and the wounding of his brother, Oliver after the SAS mistook them for IRA attackers. Dermot Finucane - Member of the IRA Belfast Brigade, arrested for the murder of RUC officer, Charles Lewis who was shot as he was coming out of a newsagents in Balmoral Avenue, Belfast on the 6th February 1981, later acquitted and later convicted on the 20th August 1981 for firing upon on a RUC Patrol car and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment, returned to active service following his escape, later fled across the border into Ireland, captured with escapee, Paul Kane in Granard, County Longford in November 1987. Robert Russell - IRA Volunteer, convicted on the 15th November 1982 for the attempted murder of RUC superintendent, Ernest Drew who shot by Russell outside the McShane's Health Centre in Belfast in May 1978, fled to Dublin following his escape, captured in Dublin in 1984, later extradited to Northern Ireland in 1988. Seamus Campbell - Member of the IRA Tyrone Brigade, convicted on the 27th June 1980 for possession of explosives found in his stolen lorry on the 19th June 1980, fled to the US following his escape, captured at a roadblock in Texas in 2007, later extradited to Northern Ireland in 2008 but was granted amnesty and acquitted. Kevin Artt - IRA Volunteer, convicted on the 5th August 1983 for the murder of the Deputy Governor of HMP Maze, Albert Miles who was shot in front of his wife at their home in North Belfast on the 26th November 1978 and housed in the Maze's H4 Block, fled to the US following his escape and became a car salesman, captured by the FBI on a passport violation at his houseboat in San Diego, California on the morning of the 3rd June 1992, later extradited to Northern Ireland in October 1992. Pol Brennan - Known as Paul Brennan, IRA Volunteer, convicted on the 13th September 1976 and sentenced to 23 years imprisonment for possession of explosives after being stopped by a military foot patrol on the 10th September 1976 and was housed in H4 Block, fled to the US following his escape, captured by the FBI in San Francisco, California in January 1993, later released in 2000 after the British withdrew their extradition request due to the Good Friday Agreement. Brennan was re-arrested at immigration checkpoint for a expired work permit at the Texas US-Mexico border on the 26th January 2008 and later extradited back to Northern Ireland on the 18th May 2009, his extradition had sparked criticism from the Irish-American community and controversial debate between the US, British and Irish Governments with representatives from the US State Department, the US Department of Homeland Security and the US Immigration Custom and Enforcement stating that Brennan's ties to the IRA and his escape from the Maze had made him illegible for a renewed visa and therefore subjected to extradition. John Fryers - Known as Gerard Fryers and Rinty, IRA Volunteer, convicted on the 11th January 1980 and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for hijacking and burning a bus in the Fall Roads, fled across the border into Ireland following his escape and disappeared, never have been captured. James Smyth - Member of the Provisional IRA, convicted on the 18th November 1978 and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the attempted murder of prison guard, John Carlisle in 1977 and housed in the H4 Block, fled to the US following his escape, captured by the FBI in San Francisco, California on a passport violation in June 1993 and later extradited to Northern Ireland on the 18th August 1996. Anthony Kelly - Member of the IRA Derry Brigade, convicted on the 27th March 1980 and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for taking part in the murder of RUC Reserve Officer, David "Stanley" Wray who shot in front of his family as they were going to church in Derry on the morning of the 20th September 1979, fled across the border into Ireland following his escape, later sentenced 8 years imprisonment for possession of firearms and explosives in Dublin in 1985, captured by the Garda at his home in Glenard Park near Letterkenny, County Donegal on the morning of the 22nd October 1997. The extradition request for Kelly was withdrawn in 2000 under the Good Friday Agreement. Terence Kirby - IRA Volunteer, convicted in January 1978 and sentenced to life imprisonment with 16 years to run concurrently for taking part in the murder of garage manager and owner, William Creighton who was shot trying stop Kirby and his accomplice and fellow IRA member, John Pickering from planting a bomb during a robbery of Creighton's garage at Finaghy in the Balmoral District of Belfast on the 19th August 1976 and housed in H4 Block, fled to the US following his escape, captured by the FBI at his home in Concord, California on the morning of the 23th February 1994 and later extradited back to Northern Ireland in 1996. -- Last edit: 2023-02-05 14:18:39

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◊ 2020-06-12 16:46

This film was about the mass breakout of IRA prisoners from the HMP Maze at Maze in County Down on the afternoon of the 25th September 1983.

In the escape, 38 IRA prisoners had seized control of the Maze H7 Block and stripped the guards of their uniforms, before hijacking a prison catering lorry and forcing the lorry's driver to drive to the gatehouse where they seized control.

Out of the 38 prisoners, 20 were recaptured over the three days following the escape, the remaining 18 escapees ended up in a IRA safe house in the Republican stronghold territory of County Armagh where they either returned to service in the IRA and took part in the more IRA Bombing Campaigns or given an new identity and job in the US.

Of the 20 prison guards who were injured during the escape, 13 were bashed and kicked, four were stabbed and two were shot, one guard, James Ferris was stabbed and died.

It was later determined that Ferris died of a heart attack as a result of injuries sustained during the assault.

After the escape, a number of escapees were either later captured or killed in the later IRA Campaigns, these were:

Ciarán Fleming - Known as Kieran Fleming, Member of the IRA Derry Brigade 4th Battalion, convicted on the 25th August 1976 for the murder of Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve Officer, Linda Baggley who was shot while on foot patrol in Chapel Street, Derry on the 23rd May 1976, only to die of her wounds nine days later, returned to active service following his escape, later attempted to blow up a RUC patrol car and was drowned while escaping a SAS ambush in the Bannagh River at Kesh, County Fermanagh on the morning of the 2nd December 1984.

Fleming's accomplice and IRA Volunteer, Antoine Mac Giolla Bhrighde (or known as Anthony MacBride) was shot and killed during the ambush as well as SAS B Squadron Paratrooper, Alistair Slater.

Gerard McDonnell - IRA Volunteer, convicted on the 18th June 1977 for possession of bomb material found in a raid on his home in Belfast on the 2nd March 1977, fled to Glasgow and joined the IRA Glasgow Branch following his escape and took part in the planning of 16 bombing attacks across England, captured with four other IRA members, including Brighton Bomber, Patrick Magee during a raid on the IRA Safehouse in Glasgow on the 24th June 1985, later released under the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Brendan McFarlane - Known as Bik McFarlane, member of the IRA Belfast Brigade, convicted on the 15th August 1978 for the murders of five Protestant civilians who were shot in the Bayardo Bar Attack at the Bayardo Bar on Aberdeen Street in Belfast on the 13th August 1975, returned to active service following his escape, later took part in the kidnapping of supermarket executive, Don Tidey on the 24th November 1983 and the shootout at the Derrada Wood in Ballinamore, County Leitrim in the Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland Border Region on the 16th December 1983, resulting in the murders of Garda officer, Gary Sheehan and Irish Army private, Patrick Kelly, later fled to the Netherlands with fellow escapee, Gerard Kelly, captured with Kelly in the Netherlands on the 16th January 1986 and extradited to Northern Ireland on the 4th December 1986, later released in 1997.

McFarlane was later charged by the Republic of Ireland for the Tidey Kidnapping in 1998 but was acquitted on the 26th June 2008 due to a lack of evidence and was awarded 15,400 euros in compensation by the European Court of Human Rights in September 2010.

Gerard Kelly - Known as Gerry Kelly, IRA Volunteer, convicted and imprisoned in England on the 14th November 1973 for taking part in the bombings of the Old Bailey Court and the Ministry of Agriculture Building near Whitehall on the 8th March 1973, transferred to the Maze in April 1975, returned to active service following his escape, later fled to the Netherlands with McFarlane, captured with McFarlane in Amsterdam on the 16th January 1986 and extradited to Northern Ireland on the 4th December 1986.

Séamus McElwaine - Member of the IRA South Fermanagh Brigade and Sub Commander of the IRA Fermanagh Brigade, convicted in May 1982 for the murders of Ulster Defence Regiment corporal, Aubrey Abercrombie who was shot as he was driving his tractor in Drumacabranagher near Florencecourt, County Fermanagh on the 5th February 1980 and Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve Constable, Ernest Johnston shot outside his home in Rosslea, County Fermanagh on the 23rd September 1980, returned to active service following his escape, later joined the IRA Active Service Unit in the Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland Border region, shot and killed by members of the SAS at Rosslea on the morning of the 26th April 1986.

Pádraig McKearney - Known as Patrick McKearney, member of the IRA East Tyrone Brigade, convicted and sentenced to 14 imprisonment on the 23rd September 1981 after being captured by the British Army with loaded Sten Machine Gun on the 8th August 1980, returned to active service following his escape, later took part in the attack on the RUC Ballygawley Branch at Ballygawley barracks in Ballygawley, County Tyrone on the evening of the 7th December 1985, resulting in the murders of a RUC Constable, George Gilliland and a Reserve Constable, William Clements and the wounding of three other RUC officers and the later attack of the RUC Birches Branch at The Birches, County Armagh on the 11th August 1986, shot and killed with seven other members of the IRA East Tyrone Brigade by members of the SAS in a failed raid on the Loughgall police station at Loughgall, County Armagh on the night of the 8th May 1987.

The shootout resulted in the death of a civilian, Anthony Hughes and the wounding of his brother, Oliver after the SAS mistook them for IRA attackers.

Dermot Finucane - Member of the IRA Belfast Brigade, arrested for the murder of RUC officer, Charles Lewis who was shot as he was coming out of a newsagents in Balmoral Avenue, Belfast on the 6th February 1981, later acquitted and later convicted on the 20th August 1981 for firing upon on a RUC Patrol car and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment, returned to active service following his escape, later fled across the border into Ireland, captured with escapee, Paul Kane in Granard, County Longford in November 1987.

Robert Russell - IRA Volunteer, convicted on the 15th November 1982 for the attempted murder of RUC superintendent, Ernest Drew who shot by Russell outside the McShane's Health Centre in Belfast in May 1978, fled to Dublin following his escape, captured in Dublin in 1984, later extradited to Northern Ireland in 1988.

Seamus Campbell - Member of the IRA Tyrone Brigade, convicted on the 27th June 1980 for possession of explosives found in his stolen lorry on the 19th June 1980, fled to the US following his escape, captured at a roadblock in Texas in 2007, later extradited to Northern Ireland in 2008 but was granted amnesty and acquitted.

Kevin Artt - IRA Volunteer, convicted on the 5th August 1983 for the murder of the Deputy Governor of HMP Maze, Albert Miles who was shot in front of his wife at their home in North Belfast on the 26th November 1978 and housed in the Maze's H4 Block, fled to the US following his escape and became a car salesman, captured by the FBI on a passport violation at his houseboat in San Diego, California on the morning of the 3rd June 1992, later extradited to Northern Ireland in October 1992.

Pol Brennan - Known as Paul Brennan, IRA Volunteer, convicted on the 13th September 1976 and sentenced to 23 years imprisonment for possession of explosives after being stopped by a military foot patrol on the 10th September 1976 and was housed in H4 Block, fled to the US following his escape, captured by the FBI in San Francisco, California in January 1993, later released in 2000 after the British withdrew their extradition request due to the Good Friday Agreement.

Brennan was re-arrested at immigration checkpoint for a expired work permit at the Texas US-Mexico border on the 26th January 2008 and later extradited back to Northern Ireland on the 18th May 2009, his extradition had sparked criticism from the Irish-American community and controversial debate between the US, British and Irish Governments with representatives from the US State Department, the US Department of Homeland Security and the US Immigration Custom and Enforcement stating that Brennan's ties to the IRA and his escape from the Maze had made him illegible for a renewed visa and therefore subjected to extradition.

John Fryers - Known as Gerard Fryers and Rinty, IRA Volunteer, convicted on the 11th January 1980 and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for hijacking and burning a bus in the Fall Roads, fled across the border into Ireland following his escape and disappeared, never have been captured.

James Smyth - Member of the Provisional IRA, convicted on the 18th November 1978 and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the attempted murder of prison guard, John Carlisle in 1977 and housed in the H4 Block, fled to the US following his escape, captured by the FBI in San Francisco, California on a passport violation in June 1993 and later extradited to Northern Ireland on the 18th August 1996.

Anthony Kelly - Member of the IRA Derry Brigade, convicted on the 27th March 1980 and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for taking part in the murder of RUC Reserve Officer, David "Stanley" Wray who shot in front of his family as they were going to church in Derry on the morning of the 20th September 1979, fled across the border into Ireland following his escape, later sentenced 8 years imprisonment for possession of firearms and explosives in Dublin in 1985, captured by the Garda at his home in Glenard Park near Letterkenny, County Donegal on the morning of the 22nd October 1997.

The extradition request for Kelly was withdrawn in 2000 under the Good Friday Agreement.

Terence Kirby - IRA Volunteer, convicted in January 1978 and sentenced to life imprisonment with 16 years to run concurrently for taking part in the murder of garage manager and owner, William Creighton who was shot trying stop Kirby and his accomplice and fellow IRA member, John Pickering from planting a bomb during a robbery of Creighton's garage at Finaghy in the Balmoral District of Belfast on the 19th August 1976 and housed in H4 Block, fled to the US following his escape, captured by the FBI at his home in Concord, California on the morning of the 23th February 1994 and later extradited back to Northern Ireland in 1996.

-- Last edit: 2023-02-05 14:18:39

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