The Cedar Lounge Revolution

Far be if for the CLR to question the editorial decisions at the Irish Times.  No. Wait a second, we’re always questioning them either directly or indirectly… but today leafing through the Irish Times at lunch what do I see but a remarkable photograph on page 6 (Home News) beside the headline “Unionist says collusion must be tackled”. And there is Raymond McCord  snr wearing a sash addressing the SF Ard Fheis at a podium with the legend “www.joinsinnfein.ie” on it and www.sinnfein.ie in the background behind him. One has to applaud him  for going where he has gone in a bid to tackle the issue of collusion – a topic that has been aired this week here. His son was murdered by the UVF in 1997 and he has subsequently devoted himself to rooting out the source of that collusion.

Somewhat different I think we’ll all agree. It certainly made me look twice. So I turn to page 1 to see what the image there was. Well above the fold was a photograph of members of Kilkenny Gospel Choir with Carrie Crowley doing a Daffodil Day press event. A very good cause indeed and one close to my heart. But nonetheless. Surely the McCord photograph is visually more interesting – not to mention politically. Which raises the question as to why it wasn’t on the cover.

Interesting too the way in which he wore the sash. I wonder if this in some sense gave him a degree of security as he addressed the Ard Fheis, a sort of explicit expression of his cultural and – presumably – political identity. And perhaps too a bit of political cover for when he returns to his own home in his own community. McCord himself is reported as saying that … ‘while not a member of the order, he wore the collarette (which belonged to his father) to emphasise his own unionist background and to make the point that ‘times have changed for the better’. The photograph in the IT is better than the one above (which I swiped from the SF website). Alex Maskey introduced him deftly as ‘an unrepentant unionist who very often finds novel ways of making his point’.
I can’t think of a more vivid expression of how the situation has changed, while also demonstrating that much remains to be achieved and uncovered. And perhaps too an insight into the IT’s editorial thinking.