Selected Highlights
The ACT Initiative
Description
From the Signing of the Covenant to the Belfast Agreement – A Historical Exhibition of Progressive Loyalism.
Opposition to Home Rule in 1912 changed the political landscape in Ireland forever. What followed was a tumultuous period in history whereby Unionists and Nationalists were about to engage in a civil war thwarted only by the devastating outbreak of WW1.
This exhibition offers a chronological perspective on opposing ideologies and charts those conflict-related eras before and after the formation of Northern Ireland. Following the ceasefires of 1994, very little has been written about the progressive nature of loyalism. During our most recent period of conflict, known as ‘The Troubles’, a significant number of young men were incarcerated as political prisoners.
On visiting the centre, you can hear about their personal experiences, before, during and after their incarceration. You can visit a reconstruction of a cubicle from the Long Kesh compounds and find out what prison life was like. You can also see the documents, composed in Long Kesh by loyalist political prisoners, and recognised by academics as being the original framework for the Good Friday Agreement.
This exhibition offers a chronological perspective on opposing ideologies and charts those conflict-related eras before and after the formation of Northern Ireland. Following the ceasefires of 1994, very little has been written about the progressive nature of loyalism. During our most recent period of conflict, known as ‘The Troubles’, a significant number of young men were incarcerated as political prisoners.
On visiting the centre, you can hear about their personal experiences, before, during and after their incarceration. You can visit a reconstruction of a cubicle from the Long Kesh compounds and find out what prison life was like. You can also see the documents, composed in Long Kesh by loyalist political prisoners, and recognised by academics as being the original framework for the Good Friday Agreement.
Top Reasons To Visit
- You can visit a reconstructed cubicle, with genuine artifacts, from the Long Kesh Compounds
- You can re-enact the Signing of the Covenant, take pictures and leave with your own signed copy
- Interact with former Loyalist political prisoners and hear their first-hand accounts of their experiences
- See the ‘Sharing Responsibility’ document, the forerunner to the Belfast Agreement
- View a comprehensive range of memorabilia from all the Northern Ireland political prisons
Contact Details
Gallery
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