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This is the story of women political prisoners in Armagh and Maghaberry jails, told in their own words.
During the recent ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland it wasn’t just men who were locked up and went on hunger strike but women too. Largely ignored by the media, their struggle has been almost forgotten but is told here in vivid detail and in their own words. The majority came from the Republican community, but there were also some from the Loyalist community. We witness the gruelling effects of the no wash protest by republican women and the isolation shown in a loyalist woman’s story. The film shows not only the suffering they endured in their resistance to criminalisation but also the strength of the bonds that grew between them.
Through first person testimonies eight women ex-prisoners tell of their experiences during this defining time. The film spans a twenty five year period, covering the first internees in the 70s, the killing of a prison officer outside Armagh Gaol in 1979, the republican women’s protest for political status, as well as the closure of Armagh and transfer to Maghaberry prison in 1986.