FROM THE ARCHIVES:IRA prisoners took over Mountjoy prison in Dublin for six hours, holding three prison officers hostage and wrecking the interior of the building. Some of them communicated from the roof with reporters, including Dick Grogan and Godfrey Fitzsimons for The Irish Times.
FOR THE entire period of the riots, several prisoners on the roof of Mountjoy Prison “B” wing sang songs, shouted slogans and gave a running commentary to newsmen on what was happening inside and what their demands were.
They shouted to reporters that they were protesting against conditions inside the prison, against the holding of Republicans for up to four months on remand without trial and against the authorities’ refusal to release on parole a young Belfast man, Joseph Canning, from the Ardoyne, who wished to get married tomorrow.
The prisoners said they had three hostages, the chief officer, a Mr. Lee, and two prison officers. “They’re quite safe. Their families have nothing to worry about,” shouted one of the men.
The drama began around 8 p.m. when, apparently, some Provisionals seized the keys of their cells and released 36 or 37 of their fellow Republicans, as well as a large number of ordinary prisoners. A man who said he was Alphonsus O Riain, from Waterford, crawled with two others along the roof of the prison to a corner from where he could be heard by reporters outside.
“This is the I.R.A. Provisionals,” he said. “We want to see Mr. [Jack] Lynch [taoiseach] and Mr. [Seán] Mac Stiofain [IRA chief of staff] here to negotiate a speedy trial for the men on remand here. There are men here for four months and more.”
Asked what was happening inside, he shouted: “There is no prison left: it is gone inside, and there will be no walls left unless we get our conditions by tomorrow morning.”
He said that they had seen gardaí bring CS gas supplies into the main office block and he shouted: “They can bring the Free State Army, if they like.” He went on: “We want to say we have no fight against the Irish people, against the ordinary gardaí or the warders. Our fight is against the collaboration forces, the Special Branch, the Secret Service, and the British authorities who direct them. We know these people receive their orders from London.”
Another said he was Thomas McMahon from Carrickmacross. He shouted: “I’m here on a trumped-up charge. For three months I’m living here.” He said they objected that Joseph Canning was not let out to get married: “In the North prisoners are allowed out on parole” . . .
Asked how many prisoners were free inside, they shouted: “The whole prison is released. The Provisionals have taken over Mountjoy.” If the police came in over the wall, they shouted, they would do as the Bogside had done.
As dusk fell, sounds of destruction could be heard from outside and smoke rose at several points.