Christopher Owens with his thoughts on the fall out from the anniversary commemoration of IRA volunteer Tom McElwee. who died on the 1981 hunger strike. 

“The life and times of Susan Strange ended in that tragic way/With the money from insurance the family went on holiday/Nothing left but rotting flowers on an unattended grave/The epitaph has faded badly/No one reads it anyway” - Subhumans

Another week, another battle over the legacy of the conflict.

Seeing political opportunists Sinn Fein commemorating the death (on hunger strike) of Thomas McElwee led to a predicable reaction, especially on Twitter (now officially worse than Tumblr at its peak).

Let’s unpack all of this, shall we?

***

Firstly, as we now know from Richard O’Rawe, McElwee (among others) was allowed to die in order to further Sinn Fein’s political profile. That, coupled with Sinn Fein seemingly prepared to allow former IRA members to be arrested for conflict related events in the hopes that the odd British soldier will also be convicted, brings a grim irony to proceedings but is typical of Sinn Fein in 2021. Reflection is a one-way street when it comes to them.

Secondly, the reaction from various commentators veered from weariness, shrieking hysteria and smug contempt. The reason for this is because McElwee was in Long Kesh for the manslaughter of Yvonne Dunlop, a 26-year-old Protestant shop owner who was burnt to death in her boutique due to a bomb (which was part of a series of bombings in Ballymena that day).

On the face of it, it’s perfectly understandable as to why people are reacting the way they are. For many, this epitomises the stark contrast between the highfaluting talk of ‘IRA volunteers’, ‘the war’ and historical fact. The thin veneer between an Armalite and an Armani. A young, innocent Protestant businesswoman killed. How can you not find the contradiction unsettling?

***

In the middle of this battle, I posted the following:

Since everyone's (rightly) remembering the death of Yvonne Dunlop in relation to #ThomasMcElwee, let's also remember Sean McCrystal, killed by loyalists on the same day in an equally barbaric fashion.

A lot of people clicked on the tweet (presumably to find out where I stood, politically speaking) but there was little interaction. One person did reply with the following:

Sean's family, friends and colleagues will rightly be remembering him. And his murder was equally as wrong as all the others that were committed here. You won't see any of the political parties here eulogising the individual or individuals who murdered Sean.

Out of all the tweets I had read that day, this was by far the most sensible and the one that really cut to the matter as to why some people reacted the way they did. I certainly couldn’t argue with the tweet, and I didn’t.

However, it also (inadvertently) highlighted a problem.

***

In the rush for the Twitterati to demonstrate how appalled they are by Sinn Fein’s cynical posturing some would include a variation on the phrase ‘don’t @ me with whataboutery all deaths were wrong’ in their tweet.

The problem with this approach is that, in this case, it removes Sean McCrystal from the narrative of that day and reduces it purely to Thomas McElwee and Yvonne Dunlop. Surely, if these people are genuinely serious about how all deaths in the conflict were wrong, they would include Sean McCrystal not only an example of how violence begets violence but also of how sickening events can lead to much more sordid events?

According to Lost Lives:

Sean Patrick McCrystal, 40-year-old Catholic civilian, single lived with his mother at Brooke Park in Antrim. Mr McCrystal's body was found burning on waste ground close to North Street in Ballymena, 60 yards from the shop where Mrs Dunlop died earlier that day. Two Ballymena men were convicted in 1977 in connection with Mr McCrystal's killing. One of the men was 21 at the time and the judge recommended that should serve no less than 25 years. The judge told him: "Mr McCrystal met a terrible and ugly death at your hands. It is difficult to imagine that sane people could perpetuate an act of savagery". The court heard that Mr McCrystal's body was found around 1:00AM in an entry and suffered lacerations and fractures. His death, however, was caused by the fire. It was said that the 21-year-old man had a fight with Mr McCrystal and then they followed him to the back of the house. They then beat him, poured petrol on him and set him on fire. The defence council said the men were "soused with drink" but the judge said they may have been so drunk as to be bereft of their senses. He said: "this can only partially explain the sadism inherent in this killing. Drink only provided the courage necessary to carry out this foul, vicious, and sadistic murder". Reliable loyalist sources said Mr McCrystal was killed by men who had UVF connections.

Doesn’t this deserve to be remembered as much as an innocent woman burning to death in her shop? When considered with Thomas McElwee’s death on hunger strike, isn’t this sequence of events a stark illustration (bombings, death of Yvonne Dunlop, death of Sean McCrystal, death of Thomas McElwee) of the depravity of the conflict as a whole?

Apparently not, due to the lack of interest in my tweet.

Alternatively, if we go along with the thinking that, because Sean McCrystal’s murderers are not commemorated by mainstream political parties, doesn’t that mean a slew of victims fall between the cracks of mainstream attention? Doesn’t this further simplify the narrative of the conflict and reinforce the idea of a hierarchy of victims that all sides are willing to weaponise them for their own purposes? Add in the narcissism that social media exacerbates, and you end up with two deeply confused groups shouting at each other, absolutely certain in their self-righteousness.

***

This needs a nuanced approach. If people want to commemorate Thomas McElwee, then they should be allowed. If people wish to discuss Yvonne Dunlop in relation to him, then by all means. But it should lead into a wider conversation about the conflict, such as how the desire for retaliation led to Sean McCrystal, leading to more needless deaths. Much more considered and positive than empty point scoring on Twitter.

If Voltaire is correct, then we need to tell the truth and be honest about what happened in the conflict. Only then will the memories of Yvonne Dunlop and Sean McCrystal be honoured, and we will understand what drove Thomas McElwee to join the hunger strike.

⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist. 

Hand Wringing The Nuances Out Of Tragedy

Christopher Owens with his thoughts on the fall out from the anniversary commemoration of IRA volunteer Tom McElwee. who died on the 1981 hunger strike. 

“The life and times of Susan Strange ended in that tragic way/With the money from insurance the family went on holiday/Nothing left but rotting flowers on an unattended grave/The epitaph has faded badly/No one reads it anyway” - Subhumans

Another week, another battle over the legacy of the conflict.

Seeing political opportunists Sinn Fein commemorating the death (on hunger strike) of Thomas McElwee led to a predicable reaction, especially on Twitter (now officially worse than Tumblr at its peak).

Let’s unpack all of this, shall we?

***

Firstly, as we now know from Richard O’Rawe, McElwee (among others) was allowed to die in order to further Sinn Fein’s political profile. That, coupled with Sinn Fein seemingly prepared to allow former IRA members to be arrested for conflict related events in the hopes that the odd British soldier will also be convicted, brings a grim irony to proceedings but is typical of Sinn Fein in 2021. Reflection is a one-way street when it comes to them.

Secondly, the reaction from various commentators veered from weariness, shrieking hysteria and smug contempt. The reason for this is because McElwee was in Long Kesh for the manslaughter of Yvonne Dunlop, a 26-year-old Protestant shop owner who was burnt to death in her boutique due to a bomb (which was part of a series of bombings in Ballymena that day).

On the face of it, it’s perfectly understandable as to why people are reacting the way they are. For many, this epitomises the stark contrast between the highfaluting talk of ‘IRA volunteers’, ‘the war’ and historical fact. The thin veneer between an Armalite and an Armani. A young, innocent Protestant businesswoman killed. How can you not find the contradiction unsettling?

***

In the middle of this battle, I posted the following:

Since everyone's (rightly) remembering the death of Yvonne Dunlop in relation to #ThomasMcElwee, let's also remember Sean McCrystal, killed by loyalists on the same day in an equally barbaric fashion.

A lot of people clicked on the tweet (presumably to find out where I stood, politically speaking) but there was little interaction. One person did reply with the following:

Sean's family, friends and colleagues will rightly be remembering him. And his murder was equally as wrong as all the others that were committed here. You won't see any of the political parties here eulogising the individual or individuals who murdered Sean.

Out of all the tweets I had read that day, this was by far the most sensible and the one that really cut to the matter as to why some people reacted the way they did. I certainly couldn’t argue with the tweet, and I didn’t.

However, it also (inadvertently) highlighted a problem.

***

In the rush for the Twitterati to demonstrate how appalled they are by Sinn Fein’s cynical posturing some would include a variation on the phrase ‘don’t @ me with whataboutery all deaths were wrong’ in their tweet.

The problem with this approach is that, in this case, it removes Sean McCrystal from the narrative of that day and reduces it purely to Thomas McElwee and Yvonne Dunlop. Surely, if these people are genuinely serious about how all deaths in the conflict were wrong, they would include Sean McCrystal not only an example of how violence begets violence but also of how sickening events can lead to much more sordid events?

According to Lost Lives:

Sean Patrick McCrystal, 40-year-old Catholic civilian, single lived with his mother at Brooke Park in Antrim. Mr McCrystal's body was found burning on waste ground close to North Street in Ballymena, 60 yards from the shop where Mrs Dunlop died earlier that day. Two Ballymena men were convicted in 1977 in connection with Mr McCrystal's killing. One of the men was 21 at the time and the judge recommended that should serve no less than 25 years. The judge told him: "Mr McCrystal met a terrible and ugly death at your hands. It is difficult to imagine that sane people could perpetuate an act of savagery". The court heard that Mr McCrystal's body was found around 1:00AM in an entry and suffered lacerations and fractures. His death, however, was caused by the fire. It was said that the 21-year-old man had a fight with Mr McCrystal and then they followed him to the back of the house. They then beat him, poured petrol on him and set him on fire. The defence council said the men were "soused with drink" but the judge said they may have been so drunk as to be bereft of their senses. He said: "this can only partially explain the sadism inherent in this killing. Drink only provided the courage necessary to carry out this foul, vicious, and sadistic murder". Reliable loyalist sources said Mr McCrystal was killed by men who had UVF connections.

Doesn’t this deserve to be remembered as much as an innocent woman burning to death in her shop? When considered with Thomas McElwee’s death on hunger strike, isn’t this sequence of events a stark illustration (bombings, death of Yvonne Dunlop, death of Sean McCrystal, death of Thomas McElwee) of the depravity of the conflict as a whole?

Apparently not, due to the lack of interest in my tweet.

Alternatively, if we go along with the thinking that, because Sean McCrystal’s murderers are not commemorated by mainstream political parties, doesn’t that mean a slew of victims fall between the cracks of mainstream attention? Doesn’t this further simplify the narrative of the conflict and reinforce the idea of a hierarchy of victims that all sides are willing to weaponise them for their own purposes? Add in the narcissism that social media exacerbates, and you end up with two deeply confused groups shouting at each other, absolutely certain in their self-righteousness.

***

This needs a nuanced approach. If people want to commemorate Thomas McElwee, then they should be allowed. If people wish to discuss Yvonne Dunlop in relation to him, then by all means. But it should lead into a wider conversation about the conflict, such as how the desire for retaliation led to Sean McCrystal, leading to more needless deaths. Much more considered and positive than empty point scoring on Twitter.

If Voltaire is correct, then we need to tell the truth and be honest about what happened in the conflict. Only then will the memories of Yvonne Dunlop and Sean McCrystal be honoured, and we will understand what drove Thomas McElwee to join the hunger strike.

⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist. 

16 comments:

  1. The problem with your argument is that no one is commemorating or even glorifying the two men who murdered Sean McChrystal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe so but plenty of loyalists flocked to paramilitaries after being stirred by certain demagogic unionist politicians such as Ian Paisley, Snr who proceeded to distance themselves from the consequences of their words.

      Very sensitively put, Christopher.

      Delete
    2. Not true Terry.

      Firstly, Political Unionism on the whole is afforded an unworthy status if one were to consider its unconstitutional and anti-democratic genesis in the Ulster Covenant and the Curragh Mutiny.

      Secondly, all summer long these supremacists continue to foist their commemorations upon their neighbours!

      And finally, celebration of 'Loyalism' abounds too in the shape of wall murals commemorating sectarian murders, and all this along with their continued justification of land grabs as revealed in their penchant for flying 'Judah's Colours'.

      Delete
    3. Christopher Owens comments

      Terry - that is clearly addressed in the second half of the piece.

      Delete
  2. @ Terry

    "The problem with your argument is that no one is commemorating or even glorifying the two men who murdered Sean McChrystal."

    As Christopher wrote "doesn’t that mean a slew of victims fall between the cracks of mainstream attention?"

    Some of the most vocal critics of Sinn Fein commemorating Tom McElwee come from those who aren't critical of violence per se, just violence that isn't carried out by their favoured organisations.

    Dale Pankhurst quoted Margaret Thatcher "crime is crime is crime" but failed to acknowledge a sectarian crime where the writing was literally on the wall. The party he is a councillor for, the DUP, contains and contained many members, hysterical in sectarianism and incitement. Willie McCrea threatening that nationalists would "reap a bitter harvest", or former deputy leader, William Beattie, who openly said that he wanted Catholic west Belfast “razed to the ground.” Beattie said this in the company of then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Jim Prior. Or George Seawright, a member of the DUP when he called for Catholics to be incinerated.

    Jamie Bryson sees Sean's murder as worthy of an amnesty, because it was carried out by loyalists.

    Jim Allister joined in, too. He previously took some time out to condemn Collum Eastwood’s using parliamentary privilege to name mass-killer of Irish/UK civilians, Soldier F. He didn’t condemn Soldier F, but he has named a former member of F’s regiment as a TUV candidate. Perhaps Jim Allister could consider the differences between Solider F and Tom McElwee. After all, like McElwee, Soldier F was lionised, indeed decorated, for his actions.

    Who can condemn without hypocrisy in the North? Christopher's Tweet, and this piece, focuses on victims, who died at the hands of others, and who had a full right to live.

    It isn't whataboutery to equate the value of two innocents who died agonising deaths. Focusing on the perpetrators of killing creates and reinforces hierarchy of killers. Had the RUC, or the IRA, stumbled upon Sean being murdered and his assailants were killed, then they would have been glorified and commemorated.

    Does that really matter? What choice does Sinn Fein really have?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good piece Christopher - my own view is to be tolerant of commemorations. Hence my annoyance when floral tributes to the dead of Narrow Water are desecrated.
    Commemorations by their nature are partisan affairs. Every year the British war dead are commemorated without reference to the many German civilian victims burned to death during the terror bombing of German cities, which was clearly a war crime of immense proportion.
    The real offence would be for republicans to insist that Yvonne Dunlop should not be remembered by her friends, family, community and society in a way that did not stay silent about the manner of her death. As much as we respect Tom he was a combatant - Yvonne Dunlop was not.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Some classic whataboutry being posted here . I’ll repeat The problem with the main piece is that no one is commemorating or even glorifying the two men who murdered Sean McChrystal. And yes anyone with an ounce of wit knows that when the likes of the DUP condemn the use of the violence the hypocrisy amp is tuned to eleven.

    On this website the following was posted:

    “As we walked that winding road, I couldn't help but think that these were the bóithrín and the fields that volunteers like Paul McGlinchey and his brother Dominic, Francis Hughes and Tom McElwee struck fear into the hearts of the enemy”.

    Yes, firebombing a small clothes shop and burning to death really must have shaken British imperialism to the core.

    Anyway , we all know that when the last few hunger strikers were dying Adams was already counting the votes and choosing his office furniture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So not only do you just ignore the second half of the piece, you then bring in a piece written by someone else to prove...something?

      Delete
  5. Good piece Christopher but the whole unadorned truth about the conflict needs to be told. People need to stand the domino's back up again and work a way back through the series of knock-on reactions that led to these three extremely painful deaths.

    It's as if people have become mesmerised looking at a fast flowing stretch of white-water without ever contemplating what's beneath the surface; what's happening on the surface, the whirlpools, the eddies and waves are the product of the volume of water in combination with the topography plus the boulders and rocks on the riverbed.

    If these matters are ever to be properly resolved the nature and structure of the riverbed must first be surveyed and then most likely dredged out!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Matt Treacy Comments

    For me the most poignant aspect of the Tom McElwee testament is his hope that there might have been a settlement. Clearly, had there been he had a vision of what he hoped his life might have been had he managed to survive the hell he was in.

    (All the more poignant of course if as Richard O'Rawe and others claim there was a settlement that might have saved Tom McElwee's life.)

    He did not survive to fulfil his dreams. nor did Yvonne Dunlop, whose death whatever rationalisations we all made back then about unfortunate accidents and so on, was ultimately pointless. Other than it more than likely tore a hole in the Dunlop family which was never repaired.

    Just as the hole in the life of the McElwee family and the families of the other men who died in the H Blocks was never repaired. And just as their deaths in the end, in the final scheme of things, were pointless.

    Pointless, because whatever the unintended consequences of the hunger strikes and the IRA campaign, none of them were the stated objective of the republican army. The one that disbanded before their achievement. Which was a 32 county republic. Not another half way house that could have been achieved without one death.

    Stormont Sinn Féin, now a middle of the road social democratic party, absurdly uses the legacy of the heroes to justify their banal present, and their relentless pursuit of power. The only likely "revolutionary" part of which will be the settling of scores with some of us, no matter how much we might differ on other things.

    At least we had the opportunity to survive and free ourselves of the thraldom to utterly cynical men and women. We may be thankful of that much, and feel sorrow for those who did not.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the last paragraph captures so much so succinctly.

      Delete
  7. One small question Christopher, the two scumbags who murdered Sean were brought swiftly to justice by the RUC and the Crown Courts being sentenced to 25 years. Do you support Crown justice in this case?

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    Replies
    1. When justice works (as it did in the case of Sean McCrystal's killers), I've no issue with it. The problem is that courtrooms aren't always places where justice takes place (for a variety of reasons) and we should always be on the look out for any potential miscarriages of justice.

      Delete
    2. 100% agree Christopher, and we should always be guarded that we don't discount justice if it's not in keeping with our political sensitivities.

      Delete