Sir Roger Casement (1864–1916), born in Dublin, son of a retired British army officer, and educated in Ballymena. In 1892 he joined the British consular service in Africa and reported on the abuse of native workers in the Belgian Congo in 1904. He also reported on the exploitation of those working on the Putumayo River rubber plantations (1910–11), and was knighted. He retired in 1913 and went to Germany (1914–16) to raise an Irish Brigade to fight for Irish independence. Arrested on returning to Ireland, he was hanged in Pentonville jail on 3 August 1916.
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Roger Casement's biography is taken from the book 1916 Portraits and Lives published by the Royal Irish Academy. 100 prints of the 42 portraits and 3 scenes from the book, signed and numbered by the artist David Rooney, are available to order while quantities last. The original portraits from the book have been acquired for the State Collection by the OPW and will be on exhibit in 2016 at Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin. Read more 1916 biographies.
