Movement. ches and other AT CHRISTMAS I never got any Christmas cards. The two fellows door got a Christmas card. And that night, o'clock, said: 'Swing your towel. We would put a not on the end of the towel and swing it out of the door, and he has his arm out and he would catch it, and then he'd rap wall: 'Got it.' Then he'd rap my wall: 'Put your arm out.' And I caught it.
The Christmas card that they got, they cut the top of it Just said 'Christmas small envelope which they'd made themselves. The stamp was arew will a wee picke ur pencil, with a robin redbreast on it. And when I took it out, inside it they had drawn, with a wee piece of pencil lead, Christmas scene, just like a wee Christmas card, and they had written on it in Irish, "To Joe, from the blanket men in H3.
I couldn't get it out — it was sorrowful, not being able to get it out, because it was a wee token of them inside.
Sometimes I feel like it has affected me. I'm awful edgy, and I tend now - my wile notices it more than anything when 1 m talking anything I tend to explain it in detail. And I have a habit of sayıng, vou listening?' And how I've developed that is, you're talking through a wall, or through a door, and you're always assuring yourself that When you're talking like that, you're trying to somebody a mental picture. I can talk to you here now and !
can maybe lift my hands, and you can interpret it better. But was shouting through the door, it's hard for you to get a mental picture. So therefore everything perfect. It is now just over nine months since Joseph Maguire was released from H Block, yet he can't stop thinking about the time he spent there. This is the last part of the account that he gave to three members of the Troops Out Joseph Maguire spent a total of three and a half years on the blanket at Crumlin Road Prison in Belfast and in the H Blocks at Long Kesh, subject to incessant body seardegrading because he demanded the status of political He thinks it's about time people in Britain exercised their power to bring an end to the For instance, for entertainment, men would think for a next COUDIC they'd read. One man, Bobby or davs on a Sands. had read Trinitv on remand, and it took him three he nights to think it, together in his head. And he told Trinity out the door.
I've heard about two hundred the books, but I've never read them' This was about 11.30 night it started. Everyone was lying on top of their mattress.
Bobby had a blanket on standing at the door, shouting out ine door. If you shout loud enough. the whole wing can hear you. So he shouting, telling the story of Trinity, every detail. He starts describing the weather, the description of the people who are involved, their names.
And his book eight nights, for two every night, and he finished up every night at an exciting part.
And for two hours after he had finished, that was the talk, talking about the book, what he had already told.
about give describe JOSEPH MAGUIRE treatment book to get I've heard about 200 books but I've never read them. And we had lectures - Irish history from as far back as the clans right up to the present day. lasted weeks. And then we had European history, ferent histories of other counat get any straight after everyone would be at the doors.
All would in turn shout out what news they had heard. This is the stands way we get it together.
wnen i was in the Blocks. area, know what they're doing now.
There's maybe something, or they're just sitting and lasted for among themselves.
out the out the doors.
be standing Just looking al lne sky, becaust you can see nothing else but the sky, the stars and the moon.
can't see the moon, and dif- bright star -When we get a visit, and we that's would shout, that night the rosary he can't see the ones who had visits We'll see ll in weeks when round there.
I can't stop thinking about it's the birds.
La debate everybody's talking shouting windows or shouting eating the maggots.
And some nights they'll all at the windows, spotted it looked because there's just wire be quiet.
Once you rap the message. and said, the line, And everybody nobody ding looking at it greenfinches, magpies, walked and timbers, and you can just look up. At night it's the sky, seagull And maybe the fellows on backwards, the other side of the wing, who For a big - somebody on the It side that can see it would shout, 'You want to see the full moon out tonight!' And he LUW. 'Ah shut up, you're wrecking me!' because the full moon.
to they pression - it's a cead, it's a hundred per cent. When this landed walked here. couldn't walk forwards, that's honest to God. So I always watched out for it.
was hard when I was there, I never had it easy. From when I've got out, I can see it worse. It frightens me in and saying, I was living like The people that call them criminals ahe blind because criminals are individuals, and they do things individually. My personal opinion that a criminal will do anything to get it handy in jail, get the remis sion off and get out. At times you felt like crying - there's men did cry at nights — but I never ever criminalise 'At times there's been wee birds in our cell, in the corner eating You see, when we were moved. we were all beaten, 46 men. Once we arrived in the cells, they would just shout, 'Is everybody over? And they said, 'Yes', and then we'd have all sung, we'd have sung a song And all those 25 or 30 screws who were only after putting us through the search, us and degrading us, ocalilig had to listen to us all singing sang in defiance of their search, of what they were doing try and get us off the blanket.
Personally have
animosity for people in Britain, . But I feel that and never had the people in England should wake up to the reality of the whole situation here. I think if expressed themselves about their government's involvement in Northern Ireland they themselves could bring an end to the troubles. And when you're bringing an end to the troubles, you're bringing an end to injustice Ireland is and belongs to us. It's just like me moving into your house with a gun and saying I'm living You don't want me to ive there but I'm living there because I've got a gun and I'n occupying your house. The army occupying Ireland, it's just the same. The only thing that will ever end it is a total British withdrawal.
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prisoner. war - by pulling the troops out.
Inside a woman prisoner's cell. Picture smug- gled out of Armagh jail.