The Insider: The Belfast Prison Diaries of Eamonn Boyce, 1956-1962

The Insider: The Belfast Prison Diaries of Eamonn Boyce, 1956-1962 Edited by Anna Bryson, The Lilliput Press, Dublin, 2007

494 Pages Posted: 28 Jul 2016

See all articles by Anna Bryson

Anna Bryson

Queen's University Belfast

Date Written: July 22, 2007

Abstract

Treason Felony dates back to the Young Irelanders of 1848. In December 1954, for his part in an arms raid on Omagh army barracks, Dublin man Eamonn Boyce was convicted on three counts of this archaic offence and sentenced at the Belfast Winter Assizes to twelve years’ imprisonment. Defying the strict rules of the prison, he maintained a journal from December 1956 to September 1962.

Against the odds, this has survived. Written in Irish, it is a reflective account of his daily lot (prison regime; IRA command structures; education; relations with his fellow prisoners and staff). It is an insider’s perspective on the unfolding IRA campaign gleaned from newly arrived prisoners, secret correspondence with the IRA and the latest news reports on a smuggled and cleverly hidden transistor radio. Within the bleak confines of Crumlin Road prison he set down hopes, dreams and fears. The diary became an indispensable tool to keep human dignity alive.

Keywords: Irish political prisoners; prison; prison diaries; Border campaign; history of Irish republicanism; penal history

Suggested Citation

Bryson, Anna, The Insider: The Belfast Prison Diaries of Eamonn Boyce, 1956-1962 (July 22, 2007). The Insider: The Belfast Prison Diaries of Eamonn Boyce, 1956-1962 Edited by Anna Bryson, The Lilliput Press, Dublin, 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2813106

Anna Bryson (Contact Author)

Queen's University Belfast ( email )

Belfast
United Kingdom

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