Rory Carroll, the Ireland correspondent of the Guardian newspaper and author of A Rebel And A Traitor, was interviewed on 1st August by Pat Kenny on his Newstalk radio programme, for the commemoration of Casement’s execution on 3rd August 1916. When Kenny asked Carroll to comment on the content of the ‘Black Dairies’, he replied that this was “problematic”. I thought this was an evasive and response, but Kenny did not ask him to elaborate.
I hoped I might have an opportunity to draw out Carroll, when he promoted his book at The Barnes Book Fest on 26 September.
Carroll began his talk, and kept emphasising Casement’s alleged mental state, and this throughout the talk. Dr. Carroll put him on the psychiatrist’s couch and his verdict was that the patient, this human rights pioneer, was obviously a very odd individual with a bundle of contradictions. The patient did not really know who he was, Irish or English, Catholic or Protestant, straight or gay. He was always edgy and agitated and prone to melancholy and despair!
Consequently he had to have some great causes to relieve this condition—and this ranged from British Imperialism, to countering slavery and oppression, supporting Irish independence, and backing Germany in World War I. The subject compartmentalised his life into these departments, so there was no consistency or coherence in his views.
And, of course, there was the guilty secret that nobody knew about throughout his life!
On top of all that, he was betrayed by his lover, Eivind Adler Christensen: and a feeling of betrayal was another part of his make-up: and he saw instances of it everywhere.
The psychobabble went on for nearly an hour.
The meeting organisers did not allow any remarks from the audience, when I tried to counter this nonsense. The authorities’ policy as regards the audience at the event was strictly questions for the speaker only. I argued that we had listened to a travesty of Casement’s life and it deserved a response.
I tried to explain that these apparent contradictions in Casement’s views were simply a response to developing situations. After all, as Keynes retorted when challenged on his changing views—“when circumstances change I change my mind: what do you do, sir?”.
The fact is that Casement explained all his actions fully and coherently at every point. But I was not allowed to develop this theme.
Being ordered to ask a question, I asked Dr. Carroll if the diarist of the pederastic Black Diaries could be the Casement who said in his genuine 1910 diary that he was celibate—unless he was a lying hypocrite.
But Dr. Carroll’s reply was that he was satisfied that all ‘authorities’ agree that these ‘Black’ Diaries were authentic. End of!
Casement was not the only oddball in the story. With the necessary colour added, Carroll described how the 1916 IRB [Irish Republican Brotherhood] Rising was realised by a Rasputin like figure, Tom Clarke. He represented nobody but he fooled and seduced young men into the IRB— such as the very ill but weird figure, Joseph Plunkett, who insisted on wearing elaborate clothes so that he would look his best when dead. He came from a wealthy family and his mother was mad.
Casement’s work in Germany—trying to raise volunteers amongst Irish captives during the First World War to fight for Ireland—was ridiculed by Carroll: it seems that Casement was an eccentric figure who spoke with a plumy accent and used a cane! The mission, and 1916, was a shambles all round.
And, after the British authorities captured Casement and sentenced him to death, the movement campaigning for clemency was belittled by Carroll’s description of the campaigners—including bishops and well-known writers—as Casement’s “celebrity support group”.
The meeting then consisted of amusing tit-bits: and it became laugh a minute Irish history, much relished by this suburban English audience assembled in the nave of their local church.
Their real interest in the subject was shown by the prompt dumping of literature on Casement in the nearest bin.
One thing is now clear, Casement the homosexual is past its sell-by date: now superseded by Casement the mentally disturbed. This gives everyone the opportunity to invent their very own Casement. Hollywood next stop!
Jack Lane
