No Prisoner Has the Right to Advance the Education of Another: Education in Portlaoise Prison

From the beginning of the conflict in Northern Ireland, educational facilities were demanded by republican prisoners held in Portlaoise Prison. This demand was expressed by the small number of republican prisoners held in Portlaoise before the arrival of the bulk of the prisoners from Mountjoy and Curragh. To make their voices heard, this small group of prisoners formed a Political Prisoners Committee and elected an adjutant to represent them. This elected adjutant was Seán Morrissey from Saor Éire, the most significant faction inside Portlaoise. In the prisoners’ name, he formulated eighteen demands and issued them to the governor on 12