Roger Casement's Remains May Be Exhumed for Second Time
A commemoration society has applied to move the remains of the Irish nationalist leader from Dublin to County Antrim, seeking to fulfill his dying wish.
An application has been lodged to exhume the remains of Sir Roger Casement, a figure in Irish nationalism, and move them from Dublin to County Antrim in Northern Ireland. If approved, this would mark the second time Casement's remains have been relocated.
Casement was originally buried in the grounds of Pentonville Prison in London after his execution in 1916. He was convicted of treason after being intercepted by British authorities aboard a German U-boat, where he had been attempting to secure arms for Irish nationalists. His remains were exhumed in 1965 and reinterred at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
The Roger Casement Commemoration and Re-interment Association, the group behind the current application, stated their aim is to fulfill Casement's final wish. They have applied for an exhumation license from Dublin City Council and Glasnevin Cemetery to transfer his remains to Murlough Bay in County Antrim. The association noted that a local landowner has agreed to allow the burial on his property.
In a letter dated July 25, 1916, shortly before his death, Casement wrote: "Don't let my body lie here - get me back to the green hill at Murlough, by the McGarry's house, looking down on the Moyle, that's where I'd like to be now, and there's where I'd like to lie."
Casement's involvement with Irish independence efforts intensified during World War I, when he pursued a potential alliance with Germany. As the Irish Republican Brotherhood planned the Easter Rising, Casement traveled to Germany to recruit Irish soldiers captured by the Germans. However, the planned German support, including weapons, did not materialize as anticipated.
His return to Ireland in April 1916 coincided with the Easter Rising. While nationalist leaders read the proclamation in Dublin, Casement was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London to await trial. He was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death. Despite a public campaign for a reprieve supported by notable figures like W. B. Yeats and George Bernard Shaw, the sentence was carried out on August 3, 1916. Extracts from his diaries, which revealed his homosexuality, were circulated and are believed to have hampered his chances of avoiding execution.