The spy cameras watched as loyalist assassination gangs gunned down and kidnapped residents. This week, after 35 years, the British begin taking down their notorious West Belfast spy base
In an historic week which saw the British army begin dismantling the observation post on Divis Tower, it was a time for reflection for many people in the lower Falls.
Mary Valliday, whose brother Martin O'Prey was gunned down yards from the tower in 1991, told the Andersonstown News that the army should never have been in Divis Tower in the first place. "They did nothing to protect the Catholic people here," she said.
Visibly upset at the memories of her brother's murder, she added, "Martin's killers carried out their shooting in full view of that base and they did nothing. Seeing them up there today is just a sickening reminder of their lack of action, and how helpless they made my family feel, and I just don't feel any real sense of celebration. Of course it's good for the people of West Belfast, but it's so many years too late, and nothing that's done now will bring Martin back."
Known locally as 'Rook', Martin was an IPLO member killed by the UVF as he sat with his daughter on his knee in the living room of their home at Ardmoulin Terrace. His daughter was injured in the shooting.
Mary explained that after the shooting, she and her family approached the British army to ask them for video footage to help track down his killers. They were told the video cameras were not working on that day.
"I can't describe how upsetting that was," she said. "It was a complete nightmare."
Three more Catholic men have been murdered within view of the base since the army took over the 18th and 19th floors of the Divis Tower block.
Sean Monaghan (20) was abducted from Divis by UDA killers and found murdered in the Woodvale area of the city in 1994. Kieran Abram (35) was beaten to death by loyalists near his home in Leeson street in 1992. Taxi driver Thomas 'Toddler' Hughes (34) was shot by UVF gunmen at the lights at the bottom of Divis Street in 1991.
On each of these three occasions, no video evidence was made available. The dismantling of the spypost at Divis is part of a two-year programme to scale down security across the North after last week's IRA statement saying it was ending its armed campaign.
British soldiers went on to the roof of Divis Tower on Tuesday morning to begin dismantling the equipment that looks over the whole of West Belfast in an operation that it is likely to take months to complete. The three army figures working on top of the tower could be seen for miles around throughout the day, as curious passers-by and even tourists craned their necks to see what was going on.
In recent years the Housing Executive has spent millions renovating Divis Tower. Once the observation post is completely dismantled, there will be 10 new flats ready for occupation, and Clonard man Jim McVeigh, who hosts guided tours of West Belfast, says they'll be in big demand.
"Divis Tower is a sought-after location these days," he said. "There was a time when residents would have been keen to get out of Divis.
"Now they're extremely well run and pleasant to live in and the opposite is true – people are scrambling to get into them. And I'll tell you, there'll be some fight for the penthouse!"
The well-known local republican said that the tourists who accompanied him on Tuesday were mesmerised by the historic events unfolding in front of them.
"With film crews and politicians swarming around, they certainly got value for money!
"I was telling Monday's group how the spy base was likely to be dismantled over the coming weeks. I wasn't expecting that to happen a matter of hours later."
And it certainly got the locals talking.
Divis man Robert McClenaghan commented: "Besides being an eyesore, it has been completely useless from a point of view of protecting Catholic people.
"There was a taxi driver shot right in front of these flats, and no one was arrested. They're bound to have seen something but they didn't say. We're all glad to see it go."
Harry Webb, who also lives in the area, added: "The British army haven't done much for us. People were killed in this area but they refused to put forward any evidence. They've caused a great deal of resentment over the past 16 years."
Charlie Brady, who lives on the 16th floor of the flats, explained the peculiarities of having an army spy base situated above his home over the past five years. The British took over the 18th floor as well.
"The British soldiers actually weren't so bad, but when the RIR moved in, there was a lot of noise up there. They had a gym to exercise in so there'd often be a lot of noise right through the night.
"It upset a lot of the old people, whose lives were quite disrupted by them at times. For example, we have a lift that stops at the odd numbered floors, and one that stops at the even ones.
"Obviously the even one goes to the 18th floor, so when the army were using it, we couldn't use that lift, and for the elderly people who maybe had shopping or whatever, climbing the stairs to get into their flat was an annoyance. The soldiers weren't supposed to use it during the day but they did."
Residents also experienced severe interference with their television reception because of the surveillance equipment on the building, and signed a petition for action to be taken by the Housing Executive. "We'd pay our TV licence and often not be able to watch TV – it was ridiculous!" said Charlie.
"We also weren't allowed to have satellite TV because they wouldn't allow the dish on the roof.
"There were a lot of little disruptions, but I think everyone's just relieved now that we can get a bit of normality back, because at the end of the day, it's a lovely place to live, and you can't beat the view."
Peering out over St Peter's Cathedral and across the entirety of West Belfast as far as the eye can see, it's hard to disagree.
