‘Unique’ hand-made prison journals from Long Kesh published by Galway University

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Handmade prison journals from the Long Kesh internment camp offer a “unique” insight into life in the jail, an Irish university has said.

The University of Galway has published a digital archive of journals and photos from the Maze Prison from the mid-1970s.

The university was provided with the journals by Paddy McMenamin, who was interned at the camp from 1974-1976.

Originally from west Belfast, he now lives in Oranmore, Co Galway, and is a history graduate.

He contributed to a number of republican prison journals while at the camp, including Misneach, An Sioladoir, and Faoi Glas, and was the editor of An Fuascailteoir (the Irish for “the emancipator”).

The journals featured different cover artwork, articles and writings on history and politics, poems, and Irish language lessons.

The journals were smuggled out of Long Kesh and have been donated by Mr McMenamin to the University of Galway Library.

The university said the collection offers “a unique perspective” into the experiences of republican prisoners in Long Kesh and offers “a lens” into daily life in the internment camp.

The McMenamin archive adds to other collections owned by the university, including those of peacemaker Brendan Duddy, academic and barrister Kevin Boyle, and civil servant Maurice Hayes.

Mr McMenamin said: “As a University of Galway graduate in English and history, it is a pleasure to donate this collection of original Long Kesh Cage papers to University of Galway Library as a primary source for students studying and researching 20th century Irish history.

“It is a privilege for me to see the journals safely preserved for posterity within the university.”

University librarian Monica Crump said: “We were honoured to be entrusted to hold this truly unique collection and preserve it for future generations, so that scholars can get a glimpse into life in Long Kesh and indeed in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

“I am delighted to see the full collection catalogued and the prison journals digitised and made available online, so that an even wider audience can learn and experience some of the realities of this turbulent time in our history.”

Dr Barry Houlihan, archivist at University of Galway Library, said it was “an important collection” that would help teach future generations about the experiences of prisoners during the Troubles.

“It allows us to study and understand a difficult time in our island’s history, and reminds us why such archives from Northern Ireland, along with those already housed at University of Galway Library, are vital to preserving the memories and experiences of those directly affected by, during, and after the conflict.”

The digitised Long Kesh Prison Journals are accessible from the University of Galway Library Repository at https://digital.library.universityofgalway.ie/p/ms/categories/paddy-mcmenamin