Escape from Crumlin Road Prison, Europe’s Alcatraz: Prisoner 1082

On St Stephen’s Day 1960 Dónal Donnelly made his dramatic escape from the prison known as ‘Europe’s Alcatraz’. Three years earlier, the teenage Dónal had been convicted of membership of the IRA in the first year of ‘Operation Harvest’. He was sentenced to ten years. Here he reflects on why he came to be on top of a prison wall risking his life. This is the story of a man who overcame the hurdles of his early years to live a successful, happy life.