Lottery grant funds jail memories

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6644499.stm

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A Northern Ireland academic has received £47,000 in lottery funding to record the experiences of staff and inmates of prisons during the Troubles.

Media Studies lecturer Cahal McLaughlin said he wanted to create an archive of memories, stories and experiences for future generations to learn from.

The University of Ulster project is to focus on the Maze this month.

It will see ex-prisoners, prison officers, doctors, teachers and visitors being filmed.

Mr McLaughlin said the redevelopment of the "notorious" Maze and Crumlin Road prisons had signalled the removal of the "most significant buildings from the Troubles".

"Thousands of people including staff, prisoners and visitors were touched by the prisons and their stories are a vital part of the peace process and Northern Ireland's history," he said.

"This previously hidden history will be made available to the public and will be used for educational purposes."

He said the project was important to understanding Northern Ireland's contested past.

"Thousands of people experienced the prisons in some way but their stories and memories have often remained hidden," he said.

"It's these stories and memories that we want to tap into before they are lost forever and I would encourage as many people as possible to come forward and share their experiences."

He has already begun work on Armagh Gaol and it is also hoped that stories from Magilligan and Crumlin Road prisons will be recorded in the future.

Paul Mullan of the Heritage Lottery Fund said: "This is a project that tackles some uncomfortable times in our past in a way that illuminates different perspectives."

"At a time when Northern Ireland is moving forward it's important that we acknowledge and share these different stories as a way of learning from the past and recognising how far we have come."