You are our Empire's enemy, and so we bid you stand. And in the Tower they laid him, I came to my native land, A monument for Casement and another man, Robert Monteith, stands near the dunes with the inscription: Far from his native land, And the wild waves sing his requiem to lonely Banna Strand.' Said he: “I’m Roger Casement, I came to my native land, I mean to free my countrymen On the lonely Banna Strand. Said he: 'I'm Roger Casement, here upon my native land, They took Sir Roger prisoner, On the lonely Banna Strand. The R.I.C. were hunting for Sir Roger high and low, A sudden crash, and in the sea, they went to meet their doom In the 1990s the car parking area was moved to the beach from behind the dunes. They could not give the signal now 'I'm dying for my country dear,' he said with his last breath. And with his comrades of ’16 Authorship of the song is unknown. They found him in McKenna’s fort; A decision was taken by the 1966 Banna Strand committee to deliberately omit the name of the "third man" from the monument because, following his capture, he turned "King's evidence." And with his comrades of sixteen in peace and tranquil lies And waiting for a signal to lonely Banna Strand. This popular ballad is sung throughout Ireland, in respect of the memory of Roger Casement, a hero of the 1916 Rising. He said with his last breath, Where in the Tow'r they laid him, as a traitor to the Crown. The first and second verses were re-written in 2016 by 'Tintean' a Kerry-based folk group, to provide a more factual and historically correct depiction of events. Said they: “You are our foe”, Said he: “I’m Roger Casement, He's buried in a prison yard, far from his native land Historically, Banna Strand is associated with Roger Casement who was captured on 21 April 1916, having landed from a German U-Boat. 'With twenty thousand rifles, all ready for to land.' It is located approximately 12 km (7 mi) north west of Tralee. His last fond wish, it is fulfilled They took Sir Roger prisoner, And sailed for London town, And in the Tower they laid him, A traitor to the Crown; Said he “I am no traitor”, But his trial he had to stand, For bringing German rifles To the lonely Banna Strand. We'll sink them all, and bid farewell Casement was involved in an attempt to land arms for Irish Republicans from the German vessel the Aud. Authorship of the song is unknown. To the lonely Banna Strand. For Sir Roger high and low, It is an Atlantic Ocean beach extending from Ballyheigue Beach at the Blackrock in the North to Barrow Beach at its southern edge, located in County Kerry. In peace and tranquil lies, We've twenty thousand rifles here, that never will reach land. for bringing German rifles “I’m dying for my country” ", The mysterious 'third man' was Daniel Julian Bailey, a soldier in the Royal Irish Rifles in the British army who when a POW was recruited (as Daniel Beverley) into the 'Casement Brigade'. on lonely Banna Strand. The mountains of the Dingle Peninsula can be seen on the south west horizon. For to lie in his native land, The sod was turned, for the construction of the monument, by Florrie Monteith, the daughter of Robert Monteith. So in a boat he pulled ashore And the waves will roll in peace again 1966 interview with Raimund Weisbach, captain of U19 in 1916. from the shores of Banna Strand. 'Twas in an English prison that they led him to his death. [1] The British have us vanquish'd: man for man and gun for gun. But I must do my duty, and at once I mean to land,' Banna Strand (unknown author). On the lonely Banna Strand. For bringing German rifles From RTÉ Archives. Three Irish lads lay dying there, just like their hopes so grand A monument for Casement and another man, Robert Monteith, stands near the dunes with the inscription: "At a spot on Banna beach adjacent to here Roger Casement - Humanitarian & Irish revolutionary leader - Robert Monteith & a third man came ashore from a German submarine on Good Friday morning 21 April 1916 in furthering the cause of Irish freedom. 'No signal answers from the shore,' Sir Roger sadly said, They took Sir Roger home again in the year of sixty five A traitor to the Crown; from lonely Banna Strand. Up came a British ship and spoke, 'No Germans reach the shore; Horizon Radio, a Kerry radio station from the 1980s, was located in Banna. They took Sir Roger home again I mean to free my countrymen But his trial he had to stand, On the lonely Banna Strand. Said he, 'I am no traitor,' but his trial he had to stand, Beware Greek Bearing Gifts – Yanis Varoufakis. The final verse was written by Derek Warfield of the Wolfe Tones in 1965 when Roger Casement's remains were finally returned to Ireland. The final verse was written by Derek Warfield of the Wolfe Tones in 1965 when Roger Casement's remains were finally returned to Ireland. Many residents from Tralee make a trip to Banna Strand on the warmest summer days. In the year of ’65, Now the R.I.C. the lonely Banna Strand.' A variation on the lyrics can be found here. On the lonely Banna Strand. (Scroll down to News: German Seamen Arrive for 1916 Commemoration), Coordinates: 52°21′30″N 9°50′12″W / 52.3582°N 9.8368°W / 52.3582; -9.8368. A German boat was seen to float outside of Carrahane. Banna Beach Hotel was located nearby until it closed in 2002 and was replaced by the Banna Beach Leisure centre. on lonely Banna Strand.' Said he “I am no traitor”, to lonely Banna Strand. 'On the twenty first of April, good Friday at the dawn. I meant to free my countrymen 1966 interview with Raimund Weisbach, captain of U19 in 1916. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Banna_Strand&oldid=957191143, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 May 2020, at 14:56. No German boot shall e'er pollute were hunting Florrie was also the author of a biography of her father that was entitled "The Mystery Man of Banna Strand.". That they led him to his death, We can have a Bright Future if we Choose to…. They buried him in British soil And the waves will roll in peace again [2], The monument was erected in 1966 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landing. And the wild waves sing his Requiem His last fond wish it fulfilled for to lay in his native land Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOtq7aTA8hk, Down by the Glenside (The Bold Fenian Men), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Banna_Strand_(song)&oldid=965259467, Articles needing additional references from June 2007, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 30 June 2020, at 09:19. It features sand dunes along its entire length which rise up to 12 metres (40 ft). they must be dead; A motor-car was dashing through the early morning gloom. Casement was involved in an attempt to land arms for Irish Republicans from the German vessel the Aud. As they sailed for Queenstown Harbour, said the Germans: 'We're undone They found him at McKenna's Fort, said they: 'You are our foe.' Banna Strand, (Gaeilge: Trá na Beannaí) also known as Banna Beach, is situated in Tralee Bay. "Banna Strand" (also known as "The Lonely Banna Strand" - "The Ballad of Roger Casement" is a different song) is an Irish rebel song about the failed transport of arms into Ireland for use in the Easter Rising. Historically, Banna Strand is associated with Roger Casement who was captured on 21 April 1916, having landed from a German U-Boat. And sailed for London town, 'No comrades here to welcome me, alas! "Banna Strand" (also known as "The Lonely Banna Strand" - "The Ballad of Roger Casement" is a different song) is an Irish rebel song about the failed transport of arms into Ireland for use in the Easter Rising. They took Sir Roger prisoner and they sailed for London Town, The German ship was lying there, with rifles in galore. ‘Twas in an English prison