During the time that has elapsed since the funeral of Brendan Hughes I have read media reports and listened to the opinions of individuals within our community. And all would lead a body to believe that the death and funeral of ‘the Dark’ has brought some form of reconciliation between individuals and factions with opposing views on the present political set up.
I believe this is a totally wrong reading of what actually happened. I also believe that, were it not for the resolve of members of D Company to respect the memory of their dead O/C, we would have witnessed a totally different ceremony. Approaches were made to allow Sinn Fein to play a part in the ceremony which would have included a MLA singing during the service in St Peter’s.
The approach was rebuffed by ‘the Dogs’ who were fully aware of Brendan’s attitude towards the Sinn Fein leadership and to the rightward trend of its policies. By standing their ground his former comrades were able to afford Brendan, in death, the dignity and respect he was denied in life by many of those who followed his remains through the Lower Falls and who jostled to get a lift of his tricloured draped coffin especially when there were cameras about.
Brendan Hughes spent his life fighting for truth and against injustice and oppression from wherever it came. He loathed everything that Sinn Fein had become and detested all that it stood for, and made that very clear to anyone who cared to listen.
He was an embarrassment to those who still have the gall to call themselves republicans while administering bad British rule in this part of Ireland and embracing socio-economic policies that owed more to Maggie Thatcher than they do to James Connolly.
Many, many people attended Brendan’s funeral to celebrate the life of a dear friend and noble human being. Others there would, more likely, have been celebrating his death. When the truth is replaced by silence then the silence is a lie.
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