Sinn Fein members backed the retention of the name, unionists opposed the naming of a playground after a terrorist and the SDLP stayed away. Well, one of them did turn up, but then abstained.
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In spite of all that has been written about this issue, in spite of all that has been said, in spite of what the Equality Commission has said and in spite of what even their party leader has said, SDLP councillors in Newry and Mourne stayed away.
They could have done the right thing and they should have done the right thing. They could have voted to reverse a wrong decision that the party had supported in the past, but no. Instead, the SDLP showed its contempt for the victims of terrorism.
Of course, we now know that one of them, Councillor Michael Carr, the SDLP group leader, was unable to attend because he had a very pressing engagement. As he explained afterwards, he couldn't be there because he had to attend the annual general meeting of his golf club. Well, at least we know what his priorities are.
McCreesh was born in Camlough in south Armagh, in the heart of what has come to be known as 'Bandit Country', and joined Na Fianna Eireann, the junior wing of the IRA, in 1973.
Later that year, he progressed to membership of the south Armagh brigade of the Provisional IRA, but was captured by soldiers on June 25, 1976, along with two other IRA men.
On March 2, 1977, McCreesh was convicted of attempted murder and possession of a rifle and ammunition, for which he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was given an additional five years for IRA membership.
He joined the IRA hunger strike on March 22, 1981, the third member of the IRA to do so, and died on May 21, after 61 days.
The play-park was originally named Patrick Street Play Park, but on the 20th anniversary of the IRA hunger strike, an unofficial sign was erected naming it Raymond McCreesh Park.
In February 2001, a request was made by the 1981 Hunger Strike Commemoration Committee to officially rename the play-park Raymond McCreesh Park and it was officially renamed in April 2001. The council then erected an official bilingual sign.
What sort of message does this send out to children when their park is named after an IRA terrorist? The answer is that it normalises IRA terrorism and murder.
The issue came back before the council on December 3, 2012 and the council voted to retain the name, with 20 nationalists and republicans backing the name McCreesh.
Those 20 included six of the 11 members of the SDLP. However, the SDLP was in total disarray on the issue, with one councillor abstaining, one leaving before the vote, one unable to attend because of illness, two opposing the name and six voting for it. What a shambles.
Eventually, SDLP leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell said that the party was opposed to the name McCreesh. However, actions speak louder than words and two years on there has been no action from the SDLP.
Very often the SDLP try to present themselves as the party of principle and castigate everyone else for falling short of their high standards.
However, this shameful situation in Newry has exposed the double standards of the SDLP.
It has also shone a very bad light on the leadership, or lack thereof, of Dr McDonnell and his deputy Dolores Kelly.
It is all the more bizarre in that Alasdair McDonnell is about to go before the electorate in South Belfast and the behaviour of his party in Newry, alongside his lack of leadership on the issue, may well cost him some moderate votes.