Yesterday was the anniversary of Mickey Devine, the 10th and last of the Hunger Strikers to die. There were exactly two posts on my FB page acknowledging this. Yet on the 5th of May there were wall to wall tributes to Bobby Sands (and rightly so.)
Obviously the first will always be the best remembered. However the bravery of those who followed Bobby is beyond words because they KNEW that they were going to die.
Is the lack of tributes and accolades to Patsy O’ Hara, Kevin Lynch and Mickey Devine due to the fact that they were members of the INLA? I think that’s part of it but having given this some thought and going by FB posts the tributes tend to tail off every year after the anniversary of Ray McCreesh.
Could this possibly be because even SF members know now in their heart of hearts that the last 6 men to die were sacrificed due to the machinations of their leadership?
I was waiting for someone to comment No one has...
ReplyDeleteFrom Australia - one voice it is but representing many I am sure. Every year I remember each and every one of the ten. All were equal in their courage. Many Uni students also remember from all different cultural backgrounds. Law students particularly I know this cos I plastered the Uni with posters this year re the ten and and spoke with students. One lecturer only one wtd to remove one of the posters. I said NO it stays and it did.
Mary,
ReplyDeletethe absence of comments is not a reflection of its readership. It has been one of the most read pieces lately. One of the sad twists of the hunger strike was that in their battle not to be depicted as people who took part in organised crime, the last six to die were victims of a leadership crime: the crime of self aggrandisement.