Roger Casement
| Date of Birth: | 1 September 1864 |
ROGER CASEMENT was a diplomat, humanitarian and Irish nationalist born in Sandycove in 1864. He came from an Ulster Protestant family and led a distinguished career as a British consul in Africa and South America. He earned a knighthood for his 1912 report on the cruel exploitation of native labour by white traders in the Putumayo River region, Peru. But, after retiring from British public service in 1913, his long-held nationalist views came to bear when he helped form the Irish National Volunteers and travelled to the US to raise funds for them. His failed attempt to enlist Germany's help in Ireland's struggle for freedom drew the attention of the British authorities and, although he was returning to Ireland to persuade the Rising leaders to abort their plans, he was arrested and tried for treason. He was hanged on 3 August 1916, the last of the Rising executions. His remains were returned to Ireland in 1965 and, after a state funeral, reburied in Glasnevin cemetery. Source: Wikipedia.org
