Colin Bailie took to the air this past week to capture Royal Ulster Agricultural Society’s 145th Annual Balmoral Show -- Ireland’s largest agricultural and food show—recently moved to the 347-acre site of the now closed but still controversial Maze/Long Kesh Prison.
“The new site is a political hot potato,” Colin says. Maze/Long Kesh, located approximately 9 miles southwest of Belfast, was a prison built for the purposes of detaining paramilitary prisoners during the thirty years of civil conflict known as ‘The Troubles’. Its history includes the internment of nearly 1,100 prisoners and the famous Hunger Strikes of 1981 which saw the deaths of 8 people. Though closed in 2000 as part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the site, and what should be done with it, remains a contentious and highly politicized subject. As Colin says, “This new site has been featured in the news reels here for months and … is a very current [issue].”
Some fear that the site, which will include a Peace building and Conflict Resolution Centre situated amongst the remains of the prison and the new RUAS grounds, will become an ‘IRA shrine’. Others see the site as a place of historical shame which should be obliterated. Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness says the site will be a shrine to peace and First Minister Peter Robinson says, “Out of the prison site that in the past was a manifestation of individual, organizational, and even societal failure, we want to achieve something that demonstrates our desire to build a brighter, better and shared future for all.”
Held for the first time in 100 years outside of Belfast, last week’s Balmoral Show was opened by Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and attracted more than 80,000 people.