A 50th anniversary reunion of some of the 1972 Maidstone prison ship escapees took place in the Short Strand on Saturday night.
Families and friends of the escapees – later dubbed 'The Magnificent Seven' – gathered at St Matthew's Social Club to hear a first-hand account of the dramatic escape.
Planned by the IRA, the hair-raising escape saw the men – Jim Bryson, Seán Convery, Tommy Gorman, Tucker Kane, Martin Taylor, Tommy Tolan and Peter Rogers – climb into the icy waters of Belfast Lough and swim to freedom.
Chaired by the Andersonstown News, Saturday's commemoration saw a panel discussion involving Martin Taylor, Seán Convery and Tommy Gorman, who discussed the execution and legacy of the escape.
Relatives of Jim Bryson, Tommy Tolan, and Tucker Kane – who later died on active service – were also represented on the panel.
Presentations were also made to the families of the escapees.
Reflecting on the event, Martin Taylor said: "I have to thank Ciarnán Convery, Tomás Gorman, and my own son Martin Taylor Junior for organising the event before it was too late.
"I spoke to members of the deceaseds' families, and I'm free at any time if they want to talk about anything that I can shed light on or anything they don't know about their relatives."
