Opened in 1971 on the site of a former Royal Air Force base, few places in Northern Ireland tell the story of the Troubles as powerfully as the former HM Prison.
Referred to as ‘Maze Prison’, ‘Long Kesh’ or ‘the H-Blocks’, it became one of the most infamous prisons in Europe and worldwide, housing both republican and loyalist paramilitary prisoners during decades of conflict.
The prison is best known for pivotal events that shaped modern Irish and British history, including the Blanket Protest, the 1981 Hunger Strike led by Bobby Sands (whose face you may have seen on murals around Belfast), and the dramatic 1983 mass escape of 38 Irish Republican Army prisoners.
This was the largest prison escape in the history of the British Isles.
These events transformed the Maze from an ordinary prison into an internationally-recognised symbol of political conflict.
Today, little remains of the vast prison complex after most of it was demolished in the 2000s. Even though a stalemate exists on its destiny, several significant structures still survive, including the Grade A-listed H-Block 5 and the prison hospital, preserved due to their historic importance.
Although the site is not generally open as a tourist attraction, visitors interested in dark tourism, political history or the legacy of the Troubles often stop nearby to appreciate the immense historical significance of what once stood here.
Whether viewed as a place of tragedy, resilience or political change, Long Kesh remains one of the most historically significant and thought-provoking sites in Northern Ireland, offering a powerful reminder of a conflict whose legacy continues to shape the region today.
