An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 14 | by JOSEPH E.A. CONNELL, JNR O n Holy Saturday 1916, the Military Council knew their plans had been severely compromised by the loss of the Aud, which was loaded with weapons. Its arrival at Fenit and delivery of arms were foiled by failures in communications. The merchant vessel was a typical coastal steamer of the day. Originally called the SS Castro, she was about 200 feet long, dis- placed 1,000 tons and had been captured at the start of the war by the Germans who renamed her the SS Libau. In early 1916 the vessel was selected to carry weapons and ammunition to Ireland from Lübeck (Nortern Germany). In an attempt to prevent the vessel's interception she was disguised as the SS Aud, an existing neutral Norwegian vessel. Because of the war there was no direct communication be- tween Germany and Ireland and communications regarding the arms shipment and plans for German aid had to be transmitted through the German embassy in New York to John Devoy, the exiled Fenian and head of Clan na nGael in America who was the vital link. Devoy communicated with the IRB leaders in Dublin via couriers, due to the likelihood that the British might intercept any electronic communication, and passed back messages for the German High Command. Devoy asked the Germans for 100,000 rifles, artillery pieces, and German officers but the Germans instead offered 20,000 rifles and 1,000,000 rounds of ammunition. The proposal to land the arms at Fenit Harbour in Tralee Bay, Co. Kerry came from the Germans, and was accepted by Devoy in a message dated 12th March. (Devoy gave this acceptance on behalf of the Military Council but did not have time to consult them about it.) Devoy was instructed to advise Berlin that the Aud should arrive some time between Holy Thursday and Easter Sat- urday. While, from the German point of view this window to land the arms was a help, from the Volunteer position it was disastrous as in the plans of the Military Council it was vitally necessary to synchronise the landing with the start of the Rising, not within a three-day window. Devoy, himself, decided to ask that the arms be landed a single day ahead of the start of the Rising and gave the Germans the date of Holy Saturday, deeming a Holy Thursday delivery too early. However, the Aud was already underway at the time this change in schedule was made and as it was not fitted with a radio it continued under the belief that the original time- frame was still in place. Painting of the Aud

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