Although Roger Casement is recognised for his role in the 1916 Rising, his humanitarian work investigating atrocities in the rubber trade in Africa and South America is less well-known.

This exhibition uses some of the objects he collected during his time in Africa and South America to tell the story of this part of his life and the story of the victims of slavery and forced labour he worked for.

On display are butterflies collected in present day Colombia, items used in rubber collecting in present day Democratic Republic of Congo and objects made by skilled Congolese and Amazonian crafts people. The exhibition concludes with a panel dealing with modern day slavery and oppression of tribal people.

Casement stated in an essay that “the rubber was there. How it was produced, out of what a hell of human suffering no one knew, no one asked, no one suspected. Can it be no one cared?” Sadly the issues Casement encountered 100 years ago; land rights, slavery, child labour, genocide, the treatment of indigenous people and the prioritisation of business over human rights are still relevant. Today we can easily replace the word ‘rubber’ with a modern day commodity. It is hoped the exhibition will stimulate people to think more about the supply chain of goods we buy today, to question disrespectful treatment of others and invite us to ask ourselves “do we care?”

The exhibition was opened on the 3rd August 2016 to mark the 100^th anniversary of Roger Casement's death. The opening address was by Tom Arnold the Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs and former CEO of Concern Worldwide. Others speakers were Catherine Heaney, Chair of the Board of the National Museum of Ireland; Raghnall Ó Floinn, Director of the National Museum of Ireland and Fiona Reilly, Assistant Keeper of Irish Antiquities. Some images of the opening can be viewed below.