They were amazing scenes. Barbed wire and champagne. Gun towers and confetti. Loyalist cut-throat killers and IRA sniper teams. Men responsible for some of the most infamous attacks of the conflict within inches of their victims.
It all started at 9.30 a.m. Eight UVF inmates were the first out but they decided on a low-key approach. They left through a side exit and were about to drive away when their supporters, at the main gate, realised what had happened. They ran, yelling and cheering, towards the men and the vehicles.
The UVF didn't say anything to the media. Their spokesman, Mr William Smith, of the Progressive Unionist Party, said they were aware of the feelings of victims and people in the community who didn't support their release. "It's not our intention to glorify this occasion," he said. And with that the UVF were off.
UDA inmates seemed intent on leaving with as much ado as possible. Their supporters carried paramilitary flags emblazoned with "Simply the Best". Johnny Adair was prominent. Most of the 12 prisoners and their supporters tried to hide their faces. They were a sea of scarves, baseball caps, sunglasses, and upturned collars. Many were heavily tatooed.
Their political spokesman, Johnny White, insisted they were not triumphalist. He tried to bring a bit of dignity to the occasion. "All sides have suffered greatly and we acknowledge the hurt felt by the victims of this war and their families," he said. But he was interrupted with shouts of "U-U-UFF!" and "Up the UFF rocket team!".
The six LVF inmates were subdued. Torrens Knight, jailed for murdering 11 people - seven in Greysteel and four Catholic workmen - left hurriedly, covering his face. Then came Norman Coopey, similarly hiding himself. He had beaten James Morgan (16) to death three years ago, set fire to his body and dumped him in a pitfull of animal carcasses.
The Provisional IRA and INLA inmates made no attempt to cover their faces. The six INLA men were greeted by supporters waving Tricolours and the Starry Plough. Their political representative, Willie Gallagher, said it was a sombre day. He remembered the prisoners who weren't coming home, particularly the 10 hunger strikers. He didn't think the Belfast Agreement would work. It was like a wedding as the 46 Provisional IRA inmates came through the turnstile. They were showered in confetti and party streamers. Champagne was cracked open. The men hugged and kissed jubilant wives and children. They posed for photographs.
Suddenly, the media spotted a thin, pale, moustached figure with a crucifix around his neck. It was Sean Kelly, jailed for killing nine Protestants in the Shankill bomb. The prisoners were all casually dressed. The only person in a suit was Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly. He greeted each inmate with a firm handshake.
Michael Caraher, believed to have killed at least seven British soldiers and RUC officers, left the prison hand-in-hand with a blonde woman. Mr Willie Frazer - a south Armagh Protestant whose father and two uncles were killed by republicans - ran after him. "I asked if he had stopped shooting innocent people, but he didn't want to know. That man hasn't changed."
There was no remorse from the IRA inmates. Jim McVeigh, their "officer commanding" said they were "unbowed and unbroken". By noon, it was all over. Only 14 men not eligible for early release were left inside the jail last night, and they will soon be moving to neighbouring Maghaberry. After almost 25 years of protests, hunger strikes, murders and escapes, the Maze is finally quiet.