Located in the entrance block which faces Armagh’s ‘Mall’. Included the officers’ mess where prison officers ate. Functions could also be held here.

“You’d the screws sitting nearly on top of you” - Prisoner

“The visits weren’t individual, they were open plan, there was a table, a couple of chairs for your visitors and a chair for you.” - Prisoner

“My father, every time he came up to see me in prison he used to cry” - Prisoner

“You didn’t have any privacy, you were sitting with your visitors and the next table was, could be a republican with his visitors” - Prisoner

“Visits were always very distressful for prisoners” - Prisoner

Visiting took place in portacabins in a yard within the gaol complex. Visits lasted half an hour, and three adults and two children were permitted at each visit.

Where visitors waited for a prisoner to be brought to the visiting area.

Prisoners arrived to the gaol by van and entered the reception yard.

“Your cornflakes and your porridge and all came out of here” - Prison officer

Located below the ‘circle’. A small number of prisoners worked in the main kitchen. Prisoners’ meals were prepared in the main kitchen and brought up to each wing where there was a hot plate from which prisoners were served. Prisoners then ate in their cells. (Prisoners could also access a kitchen on each floor to fill flasks and prepare meals from any food parcels received.)

“We would have stood here, and we would have been called to attention and, you know, inspected, and then detailed as to where we were going to work” - Prison officer

“When Armagh prison was at its height, this was a hub, this was a centre of activity” - Prisoner

The central point of the gaol, where prison officers reported for duties.

C-Wing was built in 1975 in the old breaker’s yard to alleviate prison overcrowding. C-Wing was initially used for special category prisoners. After they were phased out (from 1976), CWing was predominantly used to accommodate female young offenders. C-Wing was demolished prior to PMA filming.

A double cell in the female young offenders centre in C-Wing. Courtesy of PRONI. Ref. INF_7_A_8_004_A

The prisoners’ yard was split into two: A-Wing yard and B-Wing yard. It was used for exercise by prisoners. Drilling and marching by some republican prisoners also took place here (in breach of the rules). The yard was occupied by a number of temporary buildings. For example, the sewing room was actually a portacabin in A-Wing yard. And the education complex was located in B-Wing yard, in a portacabin.

Male prisoners near the end of their sentences at Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast were moved here. The annex was split into dormitories.

“You knew the girls in this wing had a lot harder time than the girls in B wing” - Prisoner

A-Wing was composed of two floors (A1 and A2), with the laundry below. A1 was used for ODCs (ordinary decent criminals), while the upper floor (A2) was used for political and remand prisoners. The no wash protest (1980-81) took place in A-Wing. For matters of practicality, prisoners on the no wash protest were moved to the ground floor of the wing (A1).

“At one stage there was a big big table here. And one of the girls, we were all newly fangled with this, she got like a wee record player in. And every so often she would have come out – it ran by batteries – and she would have put it out. And remember we would have had a wee dance here.” - Prisoner

*Note ‘B1’ labels on the walls were inaccurately added by a film crew in 2000s

“The prison officers got their shirts washed down here” - Prisoner

“We did English and Irish, cookery, the typing – typing at that time -, crafts, these were all done up here, in these, there were three classrooms” - Prison officer

“I just would have known the girls by first name and I wouldn’t have gone into any, I didn’t ask them any questions about their circumstances” - Educator

Located in B-Wing yard, in a portacabin. Two classrooms facilitated classes in Irish, English, politics, and history, alongside cookery, typing, handicrafts and needlework. The classrooms could be accessed by corridors off both A-Wing and B-Wing, near the ‘circle’.

Located in B-Wing yard, in a portacabin. Classes such as circuit training took place here. A library was located beside the gym.

“Three wings and all women, you can imagine the noise” - Prisoner

B-Wing was composed of three floors (B1, B2 and B3), with the dungeons below. B3 was used for remand prisoners, with sentenced prisoners on the lower floors. B-Wing was used for protesting prisoners (i.e. prisoners who wouldn’t do prison work and thus lost privileges and were locked up more than conforming prisoners).

Also known as the double cell, the common room and ‘the soc’. It was used for socialising and watching tv.

Located below B-Wing. They were not used during ‘the troubles’.