No way to honour a martyred lord mayor
This is an insult to the memory of a great man. A little piece of quayside that 95% of the city’s population are unaware of, and do not frequent, can hardly seem a suitable gesture of recognition.
Let me remind the political representatives of the city that at the opening of the North Monastery secondary school in 1969, our former Taoiseach, the late Jack Lynch, asked Cork Corporation and the citizens of Cork to name one of the city’s main streets after McSwiney.
Since 1969, we have had 35 lord mayors all stating they were ‘proud to wear’ the chain formerly worn by MacCurtain and McSwiney. None of them, it seems, had the courage to carry out the wishes of our former Taoiseach.
Why not rename more popular areas such as the Grand Parade, Washington Street or Princes Street after McSwiney? I ask whether the business community of either of these streets would be supportive of such a move.
Remember the headquarters of Fianna Fáil, the so-called Republican Party, is on the Grand Parade. Perhaps they are waiting to rename this prominent location after Charles Haughey, Ray Burke or Pádraig Flynn!
Jack Lynch proposed that the appropriate street should be a prominent area in the city centre. Therefore I call upon the Brugha and McSwiney families and the two sitting Sinn Féin councillors in Cork City Council to boycott this event on McSwiney Quay and demand a more appropriate recognition of McSwiney’s efforts.
McSwiney was a man of principle. One must question this quality in contemporary politicians. A city which does not honour its patriot dead in an appropriate and dignified manner has no national pride. Let us now see whether ‘rebel’ Cork has any intent to honour McSwiney.
Citizens who support this suggestion should lobby city councillors.
Patrick Mullins
115 Leesdale
Model Farm Road
Bishopstown
Cork.
