The rowing supporters of the rival sports stadiums in Dublin might cast their eyes northwards where the latest idea for the deployment of Long Kesh/the Maze, the notorious prison south of Belfast, is that it would make a great stadium. Some even suggest it could become the national stadium since a site of 260 acres would permit a state-of-the-art complex catering for every sport and located off the Dublin road, a cross-border link could help all island relations.
The idea is the latest in a list which includes turning it into a Disney park (not taken seriously), a training college for the new police force (offensive to the RUC) and a museum to the troubles (unacceptable to loyalists). The NIO is giving nothing away, however. Twelve prisoners remain till the end of October and the authorities need to retain the Maze for the foreseeable future, as there are only two other adult prisons in the North. A complex which housed hundreds of names, from Gerry Adams to Johnny Adair, and was the scene of numerous dramas and tragedies, obviously has certain connotations. No doubt it would need a new name, but the government already owns the site and enthusiasts argue that it is up to the NI sports minister, Michael McGimpsey, to take it on board. Whether a sports stadium at the Maze would be a reconciling or a dividing factor is debatable; some argue it would bring the two sides together through sport; others that chanting on the site of deaths might increase sectarianism.