Sinn Féin has called on the Northern Ireland Assembly to preserve the Long Kesh prison as a museum once it has been handed over to the Assembly.
Lisburn Sinn Féin Councillor Mr Paul Butler, speaking before the handover of the prison, said that Long Kesh should be given the same status as Kilmainham Jail in Dublin or Robben Island in South Africa.
"To maintain the H-Blocks as a museum will help people understand the nature of the conflict which we have all experience here for the past 30 years," Cllr Butler said.
"While we should remember our past we also need to look to the future and to develop something positive at the jail which will benefit all the people.
"A museum site as proposed would undoubtedly bring economic benefits and employment to the area," he said.