Follow the Paper Trail: Prison Protests - The Legacy Archives
Following the ongoing success of supporting the research of former prisoners, prison officers, and their families, Paper Trail is inviting victims and survivors to access thousands of files relating to Prison Protests during the conflict.
Prison Protests - The Legacy Archives include thousands of files retrieved from the National Archives in London and the Public Records Office Northern Ireland in Belfast.
Paper Trail was commissioned by Coiste na na nIarchimí in 2015 to target and retrieve previously unpublished files from public records. These archives then featured 2020's Report of the Independent Panel Inquiry into the Circumstances of the H-Block and Prison Protests 1976 - 1981.
The charity has since gathered thousands more on numerous research trips to Dublin and London for victims and survivors.
This year, Paper Trail has been supporting the group researching the Burning of Long Kesh and the Use of CR Gas.
This new release of legacy archives will cover prison protests throughout the conflict beginning in 1970 and Internment the following year. We will also include the battles for Special Category Status and the Blanket period leading to the devastating Hunger Strikes.
Prison Protests The Legacy Archives include protests by Republican and Loyalist prisoners and protests by their supporters outside as well.
The first tranche includes hundreds of Open Source and Newspaper files (1970 - 1972) as well as a large file relating to Special Category Prisoners from April to December 1975 which heralded the end of the Internment period and the beginning of the next phase of Prison Protests.
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If victims and survivors within the campaign groups or families want access to these files when Paper Trail uploads them over the next few weeks and months, we can collect their anonymous information for the charity here.
We left a box where you can write privately it is for the Prison Protest files as Paper Trail is working with a number of other campaigns:
Name of Specific Campaign, Archives or Any Other Reasons
We will then send an invite via email once anyone has signed up to access the files via Box on the cloud.
Paper Trail does this manually and only checks requests every few hours, so please be patient. We will get you linked in as soon as possible.
You will need to sign up for a free account on Box (which is handy to have if you don’t have it).
The free account for Box is on the left of the Individual Price Plan. You only need the free account.
The more eyes looking at the files, the better.
CAVEAT
Paper Trail would like to ensure that you are safe to read these public records and that you have support networks in place.
Please exercise caution when reading any information relating to the conflict, especially information relating to you and your family.
Do not hesitate to contact Victims and Survivors Service (VSS) directly if you require support as there are a range of organisations that offer free and independent advice relating to your health and well-being.
VSS Telephone 028 90 279 100 I Lifeline 0808 808 8000
VSS Web Contact
