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IRELAND – Belfast’s notorious Maze Prison site transformed into events venue
The site of a jail, which once housed some of the world’s deadliest paramilitaries, has been turned into a venue to host The Balmoral Show, Ireland’s biggest agricultural and food show, which will open on 15 May.
This is ahead of plans to develop the site into a £300m peace centre, as part of the Maze/Long Kesh Development Corporation.
The Maze/Long Kesh programme is the largest site in UK public ownership, with 347 acres ready for redevelopment. It is twice as large as Belfast’s Titanic Quarter and four times the size of London’s Canary Wharf.
The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society voted last year to move The Balmoral Show, despite members’ concerns about the controversial site and the huge logistical challenge. The decision to move the show was largely for financial reasons.
(citmagazine.com)