The Lonely Banna Strand - (The Ballad Of Roger Casement)

Casement confided his personal papers to Dr. Charles Curry, where he had stayed on the Ammersee, before he left Germany with Robert Monteith in a submarine, initially the U-20 which developed engine trouble and then the U-19, shortly after the Aud sailed. According to Monteith, Casement believed that the Germans were toying with him from the start and providing inadequate aid that would doom a rising to failure, and that he had to reach Ireland before the shipment of arms and convince Eoin MacNeill (who he believed was still in control) to cancel the rising. Indeed Casement sent a recently arrived Irish-American, John McGoey, through Denmark to Dublin, ostensibly to advise of what military aid was coming from Germany and when, but with Casement's orders "to get the Heads in Ireland to call off the rising and merely try to land the arms and distribute them". McGoey however was not to make it to Dublin, nor was his message. His fate is unknown. Despite any view ascribed to Monteith, Casement expected to be involved in the Rising if it went ahead.

In the early hours of 21 April 1916, three days before the rising began, Casement was put ashore at Banna Strand in Tralee Bay, County Kerry. Too weak to travel, he was discovered at McKenna's Fort (an ancient ring fort now called Casement's Fort) in Rathoneen, Ardfert and subsequently arrested on charges of treason, sabotage, and espionage against the Crown. He was taken straight to London, but not before he was able to send word to Dublin about the inadequate German assistance.

Following a highly publicised trial, to their embarrassment, the government found little legal basis to prosecute Casement because his crimes had been carried out in Germany and the Treason Act seemed to apply only to activities carried out on British soil. However, closer reading of the medieval document allowed for a broader interpretation, leading to the accusation that Casement was "hanged by a comma". The court decided that a comma should be read in the text, crucially widening the sense so that "in the realm or elsewhere" meant where acts were done and not just where the "King's enemies" may be. After an unsuccessful appeal against the conviction and death sentence, he was hanged at Pentonville Prison in London on 3 August 1916, at the age of 51. He converted to Catholicism while awaiting execution and went to his death, he said, with the body of his God as his last meal.

Among the many people who pleaded for clemency were Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who became acquainted with Casement through the work of the Congo Reform Association, W. B. Yeats and George Bernard Shaw. Edmund Dene Morel could not visit him in jail, being under attack for his pacifist position. On the other hand, Joseph Conrad who had a son at the front could not forgive Casement for his treachery toward Britain nor did his friend the sculptor Herbert Ward. Members of the Casement family in Antrim contributed discreetly to the defence fund although they had sons in the army and navy.

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[1916supermc]

tiocfaidh ar la ,,,,freedom fighter,,,,,

[OisinMac99]

No one will ever come close to what this man stood for, his gracestone stone sais it all

Ruairí Mac Easmainn a d'fhulaingt bás ar son na hEireann

( Roger Casement Who died for Ireland )

Go raing míle Ruairí, is inspioráid thú

[crossybhoy]

can anyone tell me in the footage of Roger's repatriation for burial, was he laid to rest in Millto9wn Cemetary?

[greenday9240]

@OisinMac99 is brea liom roger

[soundpoe]

True or false the words in his "diary", he was an fighter against the dark side of human beings, facing it in Congo and Amazonia. Maybe the diary was not genuine, he is still a universal hero.

[dennifelicious]

I don't believe they diary to be genuine and the Roger Casement Foundation are doing good work to prove they are false. However, regardless of that the work he did should not be forgotten inside and outside of Ireland. A true hero!

[smeejit]

Thanks for the music, video, & summary. For anyone interested, look up Casement's humanitarian work in the Congo (an influence on the writing of Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'), & in S America. Whether genuine or not, the 'Black Diaries' which were shown to the jury identified him as homosexual, & helped get the death sentence.

[buzzindub]

hail hail comrade...

[Evilacidfunker]

best video on youtube

[55vica]

A mention for the singer would be nice! Wolf Tones methinks?

[navrats]

brilliant song and video.

[seniazul]

hermoso, me hace recordar a un personaje de mi historia, historia del pueblo peruano, José MAría Arguedas, defensor de los DD HH de las culturas quechuas. Seres como estos son universales