Copy Letter from Daniel Crowley re Casement Landing in County Kerry

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R. I. C. Bailyneigue, Tralee, Co. Kerry. The Editor/ Constabulary Gazette 21 4 1917 Sir/ To-day is the anniversary of the Casement landing the 21st., and even after twelve months I feel deeply the scandalous way I was treated by my authorities for the part I took in the case. As Editor of the Constabulary Gazette I think it is only right that you should know about it. I would have acquainted you previously but that it is only a short time since the last of the awards was made-that is the calling up of Sergt. Hearn of Ardfort for examination for promotion to rank of Head-Constable, and his notification of having passed the examination. I will be short as possible, still the account most of necessity be long, but I will omit a good deal. On Thursday the 20th of April 1916 I was on patrol duty (five miles away) and noticed at about 2p.m. a vessel far out to sea, a steamer, I watched her for some time, became suspicious, and on my return to Barracks I sent a Constabulary Gazette to Kerry Head to watch her and report her to the Coast-Guard here if she was suspicious. He did so. The Coast-Guard told me later the same evening that she was all right, that she had been examined by a patrol boat. Next morning at 6.30 I saw the same steamer at anchor (where she anchored the previous end off the Manarees, there was a patrol boat alongside of her. A few minutes before 10 a.m. I heard that a boat had landed at Currahane Strand with arms. I rang up the Coast-Guard here and directed him to ring up the Divisional Office at Dingle in order to get the wireless working. He did so with the result that a patrol boat came along at once to this steamer and immediately afterwards a second patrol boat came up and evidently took charge of the steamer for the three steamed away together and the last seen of them as they rounded B-randsed-Branded Head was the three together, a patrol boat each side of the stranded steamer. To be short the strange steamer was the Aude, she was laden with guns and ammunition for the Sinn Feiners here and was to have been met by them at Fenit (Tralee). Having sent the telephone messages I returned to Barracks got my men out at once-charged into plain clothes, and cycled to Currahane Strand where the arms MEMO were landed. Within about 300 yards of that spot and at the end of the road at the strand I intercepted a motor car got the names and addresses of the occupants. It was Good-Friday, nothing unusual in motors going there, still I was suspicious. The car could go no further so passed on with one of my own men who came up with the car nearly similar to me with me. When out of view of the car we dismounted and I wrote a telegram in the car -the occupants gave it to the Constable and sent him to Ardfort to the telegram off to all the surrounding stations. He did so (cycling). The car returned to the Strandand passed on forward Bailyneigue. Between the place where the place where the car passed me and Bailyneigue there are three roads by which i…