An insight into life of Casement
There will be a very interesting and informative talk in Rathdrum on Monday next on Roger Casement.
Organised by the Rathdrum Historical Society the talk will be given by Angus Mitchell, a noted historian.
Within five years of having been knighted by King George V, Roger Casement was tried for treason and executed by the British on August 3, 1916 - the last of the leaders of the 1916 Rising to be put to death.
Casement is an intriguing and a complex character and was hailed by the British establishment for exposing abuses of indigenous peoples in the Upper Congo and Peru and a man who went to his death for the cause of Irish freedom,
Casement also had family connections with Croneroe in Ashford, now Bel-Air Hotel.
During the talk entitled 'Roger Casement: between history and mystery' Dr Mitchell will attempt to shed some light on this fascinating individual. Dr Mitchell is a leading authority on Casement. He has researched and studied his life and legacy, even travelling widely on the Amazon and visiting places where Casement lived while working as the British Consul General in Brazil.
He edited 'The Amazon Journal of Roger Casement' in 1997 and followed this up in 2003 with 'Sir Roger Casement's Heart of Darkness: The 1911 Documents'.
Dr Mitchell's '16 Lives: Roger Casement' published in 2013 highlighted his uniqueness among the 1916 rebel leaders, charting his change from colonial diplomat, knighted by the realm to strategist for the Irish rebel cause. The final tragic chapter in Casement's life, the events leading to his trial have been edited from his own diary and published by Mitchell in 'One Bold Deed of Open Treason: The Berlin Diary of Roger Casement, 1914-1916'.
The talk will take place on Monday, June 13, at 8 p.m. in Avondale Community College, Rathdrum.