The annual Roger Casement Summer School in Dún Laoghaire will feature an eclectic line up of speakers and events including an address from a renowned international human rights activist.
President Catherine Connolly will open the much-anticipated event which takes place over two days (Friday 15th and Saturday 16th May ) at the Eblana Club in the seaside town.
Committee member and local Aontú rep Mairead Tóibín says,
“The Roger Casement Summer School is now a fixture in the local calendar and this year’s is shaping up to be yet another interesting and informative event.
Roger Casement was a fearless and peerless defender of human rights both here at home and in the Amazon where he was to the fore of highlighting the very many abuses visited against indigenous people in the Congo and in Peru.
He was committed to the cause of Irish Independence and gave his life in the pursuit of freedom for this country.
Our Summer School is a tribute to him and an invitation to people to learn more about him and the causes that drove him, causes that are as relevant and honorable today.
We are delighted to have President Connolly who will officially open the Summer School and this year the keynote address will be delivered by Doctor Martin von Hildebrand, an internationally respected figure who has helped to secure land ownership rights for the indigenous peoples of the Colombian Amazon.
He was born and raised in Colombia and played a leading role in inserting indigenous rights in Colombia’s 1991 constitution, as well as in creating autonomous indigenous governance systems.
More recently, as secretary general of ACTO, he has been active in promoting regional cooperation to protect the Amazon as a vital global system.
We will have a Neutrality roadshow which is vitally important to highlight our proud tradition of Irish neutrality and the importance of maintaining our Triple Lock”.
We will have lots of Ceol, craic agus rince too with performances by musicians from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann as well as Congolese performers
The Roger Casement Summer School is a sharing of ideals, vision, ideas and information and I would really encourage people to attend the event”.
