Mazetown or Maze (possibly from Irish an Mhias 'the basin', otherwise known as an Mhaigh meaning "the plain") is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It was named after the townland of Maze. The village and townland sit on the southern bank of the River Lagan, which separates it from Lurganure. This river is also the boundary between County Down and County Antrim.
Maze is the site of HM PrisonMaze, formerly a RAF station at Long Kesh. The prison was the main internment centre in Northern Ireland for suspected terrorists during the 1970s and was the focus of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike. It closed in 2000. The site is to be redeveloped and there are plans to provide a new national stadium for Northern Ireland (which would be unpopular with some)[1] and an equestrian facility. Proposals to retain some of the former prison buildings have also provoked controversy [2].
