Good Friday, April 21 1916
Eoin McNeill, true to his parting statement with Pearse that he would do everything in his power to stop the Rising short of informing Dublin Castle, issued the following order for the Cork leaders in the early hours of Good Friday morning:
‘Commandant O’Connell will go to Cork by the first available train today. He will instruct Commandant MacCurtain or in his absence will select an officer, to accompany him to Kerry. Commandant O’Connell will immediately take chief command of the Irish Volunteers, and will be in complete control over all Volunteers in Munster. Any orders issued by Commandant Pearse, or by any person hertofore are herby cancelled or recalled, and only orders issued by Commandant O’Connell and under his authority will have force. Commandant O’Connell will have full power to appoint officers of any rank, to supersede officers of any rank, and to delegate his own authority or part of it to any person in respect of the Irish Volunteers in Munster.
( Signed ) Eoin McNeill
Chief Of Staff
Florence O’Donoghue. ‘Thomas MacCurtain – Soldier & Patriot’ Anvil Books, Tralee, Co. Kerry. 1971. p.79
And this to all Irish Volunteers in Ireland, reaffirming the Orders issued on April 19th:
‘Take the place of any orders that may have been issued in a different sense. All orders of a special character issued by Commandant Pearse, or by any other person heretofore, with regard to military movements of a definite kind, are herby recalled or cacelled, and in future all special orders will be issued by me or by my successor as chief of staff.’
Florence O’Donoghue. ‘Thomas MacCurtain – Soldier & Patriot’ Anvil Books, Tralee, Co. Kerry. 1971. p.78
Karl Spindler sailed back behind Innishtooskert and at 1:30 in the morning anchored in the protection of the island. According to Spindler's testimony, the crew of U 19 had seen the outlines of the "Aud" in the distance during the night but they took it for an English destroyer. The signal flags and the light signals shown from the "Aud" had not been detected because of bad visibility. Since Casement incorrectly assumed that the auxiliary cruiser had not arrived, he pressed the submarine commander Weissbach to put him and his two companions ashore immediately (Spindler reported that he learned later from Captain Weissbach and his officers that Casement had been very uncommunicative and kept to himself during the journey and especially toward its end )
In the early hours, aboard the U-19, Captain Weisbech gave Casement his Mauser .37 revolver and advised them he was putting them in a boat to row to shore. Monteith requested lifebelts which were provided. The Collapsible boat had a portable engine which was removed as the sound could attract attention from the shore. Monteith asked for the engine to be left on and guaranteed not to start it until the submarine had left the area, but was refused. On board the boat, they carried the Mauser.37 pistol in a wooden box, which could then be made into an accurate rifle with a range of some 1000 metres. Casement, Monteith and Bayley each carried a flashlight, notebooks, Zeiss binoculars and a knife. The boat had only 3 oars, no rudder and Monteith was the only one who knew how to row ‘ and that was 20 years ago..Three men in a boat - the smallest invading party on record’ wrote Monteith years later.
The U 19 log does not mention a search for the "Libau" before setting the Irish into the bay. The entries covering the early morning hours of April 21, 1916 say: "Pilot not found. No vessel at all to be seen. Landing with the dingy is only alternative. I go in therefore under the high ground of Kerry Head, at the north side of the bay, and then on an course east into Ballyheige bay at the limit for submerged depth. Rocks and shallows to are easy to detect. Water in the bay is mirror-smooth, only gentle swelling. Gone to reciprocal heading, dingy equipped with all necessities readied. Around 2.25 lowered the Dingy with the 3 Irishmen. Did without the dingy motor because of the loud noise. The distance from onboard to ashore amounts to about 2 nautical miles. I have the conviction that the dingy having gone about 3 o'clock has landed. ".
Attempting to row towards shore, they experienced great difficulties. The boat turning in circles while drifting closer to the rocks. 200 yards short of Banna Strand, a wave overturned the boat. All managed to get back on board but Casement found doing so very difficult. When they finally reached the shore, Monteith attempted to scuttle the craft but was unable to as ‘ the material was too hard’.
Casement, writing to his sister from Pentonville Jail in June, commented ‘when I landed in Ireland…that morning ( about 3am ) swamped and swimming ashore on an unknown strand, I was happy for the first time in over a year. Although I knew that this fate waited on me, I was for one brief spell happy and smiling once more. I cannot tell you what I felt. The sandhills were full of skylarks rising in the dawn, the first I had head in years – the first sound that I heard through the surf was their song as I waded in through the breakers; and they kept rising all the time up to the old rath in Curraghane…’
W. J.Maloney. “The Forged Casement Diaries.” Talbot Press, Dublin 1936. p122/3
Ashore, they decided to bury all the equipment, except for their overcoats and headed for ruins near the beach, travelling inland for half a mile, away from roads and in the direction of Tralee. After a two mile walk, through mud, slush and fording two rivers, they found themselves back where they started.
‘We then started up a boreen, passing a farmhouse where in the early morning sun, a young girl with tousled, untidy hair, blinking at the sun, leaning out of a half door, stared at us in a manner that showed it was unusual for strangers to pass along this way, so early in the morning’
The girl, Mary Gorman was soon to be a principal witness against Casement
(As for the U19, it survived until Germany’s surrender in 1918. Early in 1919 she was towed out to sea and scuttled. Captain Weisbach was himself torpedoed while in command of another U boat and taken prisoner. After the war, he was engaged in the reconstruction of the German Navy and was during 1930-35, Head of the Turkish Naval Academy. During the Second World War, he held minor positions in the German Navy and retired in 1945. He was present in Ireland at the Easter Rising 1966 commemorations.)
They struggled on, spotting two men and a cart approaching in the distance, and hid behind a ditch. Half a mile on they came to an old ruin, where they rested. Monteith found some sandwiches made by the U-19 steward before leaving, ‘war bread and German sausage...Casement wanted some, being famished, but was unable to eat’. Monteith also gave Casement code listings given by the Germans and some photographs of his wife and child that were in his pockets and Casement lay them in the sun to dry. From there, Monteith and Bayley went on, to Tralee and to inform the local Volunteers of their arrival, leaving an exhausted and ill Casement behind.
Writing to his sister in June, Casement recalled ‘all around were primroses and wild violets and the singing of skylarks in the air, and I was back in Ireland again. As the day grew brighter I was quite happy, for I felt all the time it was God’s will I was there..’
W. J.Maloney. “The Forged Casement Diaries.” Talbot Press, Dublin 1936. p123
30 Minutes after landing from the boat, it was found by a local farmer, John McCarthy, who also found three Mauser pistols and a bag of ammunition. Three sets of footprints led along the seashore. Assuming it was part of a German landing party, he passed the information on to the R.I.C barracks in Ardfert. McCarthy gave the reason why he was on the beach so early in the morning as he was on his way to pray at a Holy Well nearby. However at the treason trial, when cross-examined, he was unable to give the name of the well. It was however asserted that McCarthy was paid a retainer by the RIC.
Meanwhile, Monteith and Bayley continued towards Tralee, skirting villages and possible sightings by the R.I.C. Reaching the town, they managed to find a newsagent’s shop that sold ‘radical’ Irish papers assuming that the owner would at least have some access to the Irish Volunteer grapevine. They managed to persuade the owner that they weren’t British spies and got a message Austin Stack, the local head of the Volunteers. He arrived within an hour and some time later, a car was organised and it was noon by the time they reached McKenna’s Fort.
‘Bayley was captured and at once prepared to tell all he knew, but Monteith did get a message through before he escaped - it fell into the hands of Connolly or Pearse and was suppressed.’
George Dangerfield “The Damnable Question - a study in Anglo-Irish Relations” Constable London. 1977. P.169
No Pilot boat made contact with the Aud, so Captain Spindler opted to sail in the bay until nightfall when under cover of darkness, would be able to make a run for Lisbon.
When it was again daylight, Spindler had to admit to himself the fact that the operation was failed if something had not happened by now. But he did not yet want to turn back. At 5am, the lookout announced that a pilot steamer was approaching the "Aud", Spindler personally set the recognition signal arranged with the Irish, at which point the English war flag was hoisted on the alleged pilot steamer; it was not the longingly awaited Irish pilot boat, but a British outpost boat. The situation had become serious. On the "Aud" the usual role playing immediately started again, but this time the commander of the "Shatter II", could not be prevented from coming on board with several armed men. Naturally the commander of the small warship wanted to know above all, why the "Aud" was anchored here and where she was bound. Spindler told him of the storm he rode out near Rockall during which the cargo had shifted, requiring restowing. As destinations he gave Cardiff then on to Naples and Genoa and he also showed him the ship's papers. The "Shatter" commander had just seen the coal mine timber props lying under one of the two loading hatches. The props were not there because of the storm. They had been left there when the bulk of the camouflage cargo was tossed overboard. Spindler's story was enough to satisfy the Commander of the "Shatter II". They relaxed with a discussion of the storm, which the commander of the "Shatter II" had also experienced. A generous helping of whiskey loosened his tongue and further eased the situation. As Spindler had left him to help himself to more whiskey the commander continued to drink, because on British warships the consumption of alcohol was strictly forbidden. Since whiskey was plentifully available on board the "Aud" a few bottles were also passed around to the other British sailors on board. As thanks Spindler received several recent English newspapers. During this captain-to-captain chat the commander of the "Shatter" was moved to disclose that he was out there to intercept an auxiliary cruiser which was going to land here and bring weapons to the Irish. At that moment Spindler must have finally become sure that the operation had been betrayed and was doomed to failure. Actually, shortly before his arrival in the vicinity of Tralee Bay the German admiralty had transmitted the radio message: "Everything betrayed. Return immediately with "Libau!" to all submarines west of Ireland, but not one submarine received the message. The Shatter II returned to Shannon.
" The Captain of Shatter II was successfully bluffed by Spindler in my opinion ”
Diarmuid Lynch file, April 6, 1945. Florence O’Donoghue Papers. Cork Archives Institute.
It could also be argued that the Admiralty ordered the Shatter II to investigate this steamer and go through the charade of checking papers etc while quickly identifying the vessel and any cargo it could be carrying.
MacDiarmada had advised members of the Military Council that MacNeill would support the Rising and so around 8.30am, Pearse, McDiarmida and McDonagh went to MacNeill’s home in Rathfarnham to discuss the matter. Questioned later that day by a member of the Supreme Council of the I.R.B., MacDiarmada stated:
Between 8-9am ( aprox ) on Good Friday morning, Sean MacDiarmada called to his ( McNeill’s ) residence at Woodtown Park, Rathfarnham; that the latter was in bed at the time, that he received and talked with MacDiarmada in his bedroom, that MacDiarmada on that occasion for the first time recited to him facts pertaining to the Rising, which MacDiarmada told him was to commence on Easter Sunday, including the fact that a shipload of arms and ammunition was expected from Germany, that he ( McNeill ) on hearing for the first time this latter important item of news, replied to MacDiarmada ‘ In view of that, a fight is inevitable and we are all in it’. He was also informed that a Proclomation was in preparation for issue on Easter Sunday and that when he had dressed and came downstairs, he found Pearse and MacDonagh waiting for him with MacDiarmada , and they had breakfast...he also never was asked to sign the Proclamation and did not see any text until published in newspapers following Easter Week...”
Diarmuid Lynch papers - National Library of Ireland MS 31-409(1). Notation by Florence O'Donoghue that the original was passed to Peadar O’Donnell in the Bureau of Military History 10 May 1957. Also detailed in Diarmuid Lynch ‘The Countermanding Orders of Holy Week 1916’ written for ‘An Cosantoir’ but not published due to objections from Bulmer Hobson. Later published in ‘The IRB and the 1916 Rising’ 1957.
This relinquisihing of authority allowed the Military Council to take control of the Irish Volunteers.
MacNeill then issued a general order to the Volunteers which read:
“ Government action for the suppression of the Volunteers is now inevitable and may begin at any moment; preparations are going on for that purpose. We are compelled to be on our guard until our safety is assured. All government statements through the press or otherwise are under the circumstances worthless”
About the time Pearse, McDiarmada and McDonagh were meeting with McNeill in Dublin, Tomas MacCurtain received a message that J.J.O’Connell was on his way to Cork with an urgent message and that he was to meet him at Mallow. On arrival, he found the train had just left with O’Connell aboard. On his return to the city, he found O’Connell had gone to MacSwiney’s home on Grand View Terrace, Victoria Road. There, MacSwiney, MacCurtain, O’Connell and Sean O’Sullivan held discussions through to 1am Saturday morning. It is unknown what was discussed. O’Connell however was en-route to Tralee to make contact with Casement and Captain Monteith to arrange the landing and distribution of arms. This was to be done surrepetiously and without coming into conflict with British troops. His information was that the ship would be there on Sunday.
Later that morning, Diarmuid Lynch received a copy of the Thursday evening order drafted by MacNeill:
‘Copy of MacNeill’s order pertaining to Commandant O’Connell ( dated April 19th ) reached an office in O’Connell Street early on Friday. It was read there by Thomas Aghas and myself about noon. I immediately reported its contents to Clarke and Connolly; this was their first intimation they had of it or any other move of MacNeill’s to stop the Rising. Before 1p.m., MacDonagh arrived at the O’Connell Street address. I showed the Macneill order to him and he asserted that the ‘matter is alright’. Questioned further as to what he meant, MacDonagh stated that MacDiarmada ( and Pearse ) had interviewed MacNeill that morning at his residence…MacDiarmada at once sent dispatches to various centres. That for Cork was taken by Jim Ryan: ‘Commandants MacCurtain and MacSwiney are to proceed with the Rising. Commadant O;Connell is to go forthwith to (?) as per previous advices.
MacCurtains reply ‘ Tell Sean we will blaze away while the stuff lasts’ showed that the Military Council had the situation well in hand….’
Diarmuid Lynch ‘The Countermanding Orders of Holy Week 1916’ written for ‘An Cosantoir’ but not published due to objections from Bulmer Hobson. Later published in ‘The IRB and the 1916 Rising’ 1957.
Diarmuid and Sean MacDiarmada had lunch in the Red Bank restaurant where ‘Sean handed back to me the sketches for the Four Courts, Jacobs, South Dublin Union and Boland’s areas for delivery to the respective Commandants. That afternoon I handed them to Ned Daly at the Red Bank ( where he and Piaras Beaslai ) also had lunch; to Thomas MacDonagh ( who got those for Telephone headquarters ) at the Princess Restaurant, Grafton Street, to Commandant Eamonn Ceannt at this office, Lord Edward Street and to Eamon de Valera at his home. Sean informed me that Connolly retained those for the north section of the city, Stephen’s Green and the Castle envirnoment and that he would distibute these.’
Diarmuid Lynch (1938) ‘Supplementary Statement on Easter Week 1916’ Submission to the Bureau of Military History. Doc WS4. Copy in the National Library of Ireland – MS 11-128.
At the same lunch meeting, Sean MacDiarmada asked Jim Ryan if he would be available to take a message to Cork that evening. Ryan readily agreed and he was asked to report to MacDiarmada’s office at D’Olier Street later in the afternoon, armed and prepared to travel on the night train. When he reported, MacDiarmada gave him the dispatch for MacCurtain and O’Connell, read it to him and advised him to use his revolver to prevent it from falling into enemy hands and destroy it if necessary. As he had never been to Cork before, Brigid Foley was asked to give him detailed directions on how to get to the Sheares Street Irish Volunteers Headquarters.
MacNeill was now awaiting confirmation of the landing of German arms and that the Government would refrain from suppressing the Volunteers. However the more immediate result was increased confusion with each order from Headquarters. MacNeill general order to prepare for resistance on Wednesday, Hobson & O’Connell’s countermanding orders on Thursday, and now Friday’s order calling for an insurrection in the near future.
Meanwhile in the early afternoon, Captain Spindler of the Aud was hailed by one armed trawler in Tralee Bay and passed off as a Norwegian. Diarmuid Lynch writing to Major Florrie O'Donoghue years later:
‘…later that morning, Casement was arrested, the contents of the papers found on him caused the British to have another, closer look at this ‘Norwegian’ ship... the wireless boat was assigned to this job and when the Aud not alone ignored her signals but set out to sea, the ‘Jig was up’...but be it noted, that from the time the ‘wireless boat’ communicated with the fleet ( which undoubtedly she did ), many hours had elapsed before the advance British unit ‘The Bluebell’ appeared on the scene ( 6p.m.)!’
Diarmuid Lynch file, April 6, 1945. Florence O’Donoghue Papers. Cork Archives Institute.
When McCarthy alerted the Ardfert RIC of what he had found on the beach, Constable TJ Hearn and Bernard Riley began combing the area and at 1.20pm, found Casement hiding in the ruins of McKenna’s Fort near Currahane Strand. When questioned as to his identity, he gave an English name and address. Claiming to be a writer named Morton who was researching a book on St Brendan the Navigator. Finding the Berlin railway ticket in his coat pocket, Casement was arrested and brought to Ardfert Barracks by pony and trap. En-route, Casement attempted to get rid of other incriminating evidence, but was spotted by a local boy who picked it up and returned it. In Ardfert, it was quickly realised that they had made an important catch, and a car was ordered up to take Mr Morton and an escort to Tralee. While at Tralee barracks, it was noticed the man in custody resembled a picture of Sir Roger Casement and his diary was found with locations written in simple code ( e.g. Berlin was ‘Dublin’ and ‘Wicklow’ was Wilhelmshaven ). His last dairy entry was ‘April 12th: Left Wicklow in Willie’s yacht.’ Casement still maintained the pretence of Mr Morton. When the District Inspector of the RIC arrived to inspect and discover more of this man, Casement admitted his identity and requested to see a priest. A Fr Ryan saw him shortly afterwards and Casement asked him to convey a message to the local Volunteers.
Fr Ryan saw Austin Stack later that afternoon and passed over his information. This corroborated the information that had already been received from Monteith, and immediately, two messengers were dispatched to Dublin – catching the early evening train.
MacNeill had delegated Bulmer Hobson to prepare notification of cancellation of manoeuvers. However the Secretary of the Volunteers was kidnapped by the I.R.B. in Phibsborough that afternoon to prevent the general order from being sent. Hobson was held incommunicado until Monday.
Throughout the rest of the day, the Aud lay at anchor in the bay but was not approached by any other craft. Questions raised since regarding the head of the local Irish Volunteers, Austin Stack and his apparent lack of initative and make some sort of investigation of the ship. However, by lunchtime, all of the local Volunteers were aware that Casement had been arrested and was in the RIC barracks in Tralee. By this time, it’s believed that Monteith had informed the local Volunteers that Casement’s mission to Ireland was to use his influence to cancel the plans for the Rising as German assistance was inadequate.
The visit of the "Shatter" with the "Aud" had obviously been observed by the coast guard and reported to the Limerick naval base At any rate, close to 1:00 in the afternoon another large and modernly equipped outpost boat was sighted. Since the commander of this ship wanted to be briefed by the commander of the "Shatter" he searched for that ship first and the "Aud" succeeded in escaping again. Meanwhile the line of ships which had probably been hidden from the "Aud" came into view. As Spindler later learned from a English naval officer, the radio-equipped outpost boat had issued an urgent radio message to the responsible admiral, who rushed a swarm of approximately 30 auxiliary cruisers and destroyers onto the "Aud".
Towards sundown, Spindler decided that plans had gone awry and decided to put sea and set course for Lisbon. With word sent from coastguards that the Aud was heading for open sea, HMS Bluebell and Zinnia were dispatched to intercept her.
Time ran out for the Aud and she was intercepted around 7 p.m. by HMS Bluebell and Zinnia and ordered to follow Bluebell as she set a course for Queenstown. Diarmuid commenting to Major Florrie O'Donoghue wrote:
‘During Spindler’s trial, the British of course adopted the attitude of impressing him that they had known everything about him. I do not believe they did. That, they did learn from the American Government after the capture of the Von Igel papers in New York on April 18th, that a ship load of arms from Germany was due to arrive on Easter Sunday Night....’
Diarmuid Lynch file, Florence O’Donoghue Papers. Cork Archives Institute.
Spindler's recurring suspicion that his special assignment was at least to a certain extent known to Britain, was confirmed by the British themselves. Concerning an interrogation by Scotland yard during his imprisonment he writes: "In the course of the interrogation unfortunately it turned out that the English had not only gotten wind of the arrival of the 'Libau', but that they were familiar with almost all details of the whole operation." And further: "To repeated questions about Sir Roger Casement I answered again and again that I did not know this man at all. Whereupon several passages of a large document were read out to me, which were word for word exactly the same as in my secret instructions! I had personally burned my copy. Therefore the only copy still available must have been in Casement's possession." All details of the "Libau" operation might not have been well-known, otherwise the British would have ended it at the latest in Tralee bay. Because an auxiliary cruiser, which was equipped with only one machine gun as weaponry might have been easy to overpower. At the least it was believed the German blockade runner had a substantially stronger armament. "Had we known what kind of ship the English regarded us as being and what kind of enormous reinforcement and submarine escort they thought we had, then what occurred would have been more understandable", Spindler commented on the fact that his ship was accompanied by several auxiliary cruisers and destroyers, which usually kept themselves at a respectful distance while on the way to Queenstown.
Diarmuid & Spindler of course were unaware of Room 40 at the Admiralty.
In Dublin, the Labour leader, William O’Brien said ‘ the air was thick with rumours’.
Addresses that were provided by individual Commanders now had ‘ … Sets of ‘keys’ for lifting the manhole covers and sets of demolition tools were duly delivered to each area. The destruction of wires between Dublin and Dun Laoighaire ( for England ) was a separate job..’
Had the Aud been able to land arms at Fenit pier, Monteith believed that the Tralee Volunteers under Austin Stack were ‘hopelessly prepared to receive and distribute the German guns’.
A. Morgan. ‘James Connolly – a political biography’ Manchester University Press. 1988. P173
As it was, the expected arrival on Sunday of the Aud and distribution of arms would have been masked by the widespread mobilisation of all Irish Volunteers throughout the country and also to have them in place to defend and maintain themselves between the time of the Sunday mobilisation and the distribution of arms early on Monday morning.
The arms movements would have been three routes:
- Tralee-Listowel-Abbeyfeale-Limerick
- Tralee – Castleisland – Newmarket
- Tralee – Killarney – Rathmore – Millstreet.
Therefore with the capture of the Aud, the entire purpose of the mobilisation was gone. There was no alternative plan in the event of the capture of the arms ship for the Cork Brigade, nor was there a plan to seize the city.
Earlier on Good Friday morning: Denis Daly and four others left Dublin by train for Killarney to set up a signaling station for the Aud at Fenit. They were met by two cars and set off for Fenit. Tommy McInerney driving one of the cars with Con Keating, a radio expert whose job it was to errect the signals at Fenit and Dan Sheehan and Charlie Monaghan as passengers. The men had the British Admiralty codes and had intended to send out a message from the Valentia Wireless Station to decoy British warships from Dingle Bay to allow the Aud to land. En route in the darkness, McInerney lost the lead car, took the wrong road and the car ran into the Laune at Ballykissane Quay. Sheehan, Keating and Monahan drowned. McInerney survived.
In Dublin, Joseph Plunkett left a Mountjoy Square nursing home following throat surgery for cancer. The prognosis was not good – he was given a few months to live.
8pm
Councillor William Partridge and William Mullins were instructed to return to Dublin and advise of the capture of the Aud and the arrest and capture of Casement.
9pm
One of the Cork Volunteers, Fred Murray boarded a train at Headford Junction bound for Cork after delivering mobilisation orders for the companies at Kenmare and Eyeries. He got into a carriage where there was only one occupant whom he recognised as Councillor William Partridge of Dublin. Connolly had sent Partridge to Tralee to help arrange for the landing of the Aud cargo and to ensure that the Citizen Army representatives received some of the arms. ‘Partridge told Murray that he was on his way from Tralee to Dublin, that the arms ship had been captured and Casement arrested. Partridge was one of two couriers sent from Tralee on Good Friday night to inform Dublin of events in Kerry…discussing the loss of the arms ship with Murray, Partridge said ‘it will not make any difference in Dublin; we are going on in Dublin’. Murray left Partridge at Mallow and joined the train to Cork.’
Florence O’Donoghue. ‘Thomas MacCurtain – Soldier & Patriot’ Anvil Books, Tralee, Co. Kerry. 1971. p.81
Kathleen Clarke returned home and was joined later that evening by Dr. Patrick McCartan from Tyrone, DeBurca from Carrickmacross and McCullough from Belfast for instructions and funds. McCartan stayed overnight at the Clarke home.
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