Raymond McCreesh remembered
The 17th anniversary of the death of volunteer Raymond McCreesh
who died on hunger strike was remembered in his home village of
Camloch, South Armagh.
The weekend was dedicated to the memory of this valiant young man
who died for his fellow prisoners and for his ultimate dream:
Freedom.
A memorial function was held and the family and friends of
Raymond attended to remember and pay tribute to his bravery and
dedication. Special guest was Bik McFarlane, OC in Long Kesh at
the time of the Hunger Strike. McFarlane spoke of his time as a
political prisoner and described the time of the hunger strike as
the `worst year of my life'. He spoke of how he met Raymond
during a legal visit when he managed to get a few minutes alone
to have a chat with him. He described Raymond as being `quiet yet
fiery and had high standards for himself'.
The following evening an anniversary Mass was held followed by a
gathering at the graveside where the crowd was addressed by the
Sinn Fein Assembly candidate for the area Conor Murphy and also
by Bik McFarlane. Wreaths were laid on behalf of SF Camloch,
Bessbrook and Mullaghtown, Camloch Sinn Fein Youth, Oglaigh na
hEireann and the McCreesh family. Afterwards everyone returned to
the village for tea and sandwiches.
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