Above the Troubles: A True Story of Northern Ireland

In 1978, the notorious British prison known as the Maze had become the epicenter of the bloody conflict in Northern Ireland, known as The Troubles. Hundreds of members of the Irish Republican Army, determined to drive the hated British out of the province, had been arrested and incarcerated in the Maze. They resorted to killing soldiers and police, detonating bombs, and arming themselves with firearms and explosives.

On Sunday, November 26, 1978, two IRA gunmen carried out a brutal attack at 8 Evelyn Gardens in Belfast, the home of Maze prison official Albert Miles. They executed Miles in front of his horrified family and vanished into the night.

In 1983, at the conclusion of the country's longest and most-publicized trial, twenty-four-year-old Catholic taxicab driver Kevin Barry Artt was convicted and sentenced to life for Miles's murder. As he was being transported to the Maze, Artt, still professing his innocence, prayed for an opportunity to escape.

Six weeks later, Artt's prayers were answered. He orchestrated a daring and dramatic escape from the Maze, fleeing to California and going underground. For decades, the British government, aided by the US Department of State and FBI, relentlessly sought him, but Artt managed to stay just steps ahead of his pursuers.

The Troubles in Northern Ireland had reached a boiling point in the late 1970s, with the IRA determined to drive the British out of the province by any means necessary. The Maze prison, a notorious British facility, had become the epicenter of this conflict, housing hundreds of IRA members who had been arrested and incarcerated.

On the fateful night of November 26, 1978, two IRA gunmen carried out a brutal attack at the home of Maze prison official Albert Miles in Belfast. They executed Miles in front of his family and vanished, leaving behind a scene of horror and tragedy.

Years later, in 1983, the country witnessed the conclusion of the longest and most-publicized trial in its history. Twenty-four-year-old Catholic taxicab driver Kevin Barry Artt was convicted and sentenced to life for Miles's murder. As he was being transported to the Maze, Artt, still maintaining his innocence, prayed for an opportunity to escape.

Artt's prayers were answered six weeks later when he orchestrated a daring and dramatic escape from the Maze. He fled to California and went underground, managing to stay just steps ahead of the relentless pursuit of the British government, the US Department of State, and the FBI for decades.

The case of Kevin Barry Artt and his dramatic escape from the Maze prison highlights the complexities and high stakes of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It is a story of determination, defiance, and the lengths to which individuals will go to fight for their beliefs, even in the face of overwhelming odds and the full force of the law.

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