File 11 - Letters from Gertrude Parry to Fr. Senan Moynihan

2 items; Manuscript

Letters to Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. from Gertrude Parry, Rockport, Cushendun, County Antrim, re the life of her cousin Roger Casement. She thanks Moynihan for sending copies of the ‘beautiful and artistic Capuchin Annual’. She adds ‘I was so glad to read the articles about my beloved cousin, Roger Casement. There are two slight errors. His birthday was Sept. 1st not 15th Sept. and his eyes were grey not brown, real Irish eyes’. The other letter (dated 16 October) provides a long biographical account of Casement’s life and career (23 pp). An extract of the text reads: ‘He [Casement] left Ireland in 1914 (June) to collect funds in America for the arming of the Volunteers. Whilst he was there the war broke out. This put a stop to his activities over the Volunteers and he then turned his thoughts to trying to keep Ireland out of the war. He realised that the quarrel with Germany did not concern Ireland and in joining in it, she would only be sacrificing the flower of her young men to fight England’s cause’. The file includes a cover annotated by Fr. Senan. It reads ‘Notes on Roger Casement by Mrs Parry’.

A portion of one of the letters with Gertrude Parry’s signature is detached.

Gertrude Parry (Roger Casement’s cousin and executor) was a close friend of Eva Gore Booth (1870-1923). Parry visited Casement in Pentonville Prison before his execution.