Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has approved a proposal to erect a statue of the Irish nationalist, Roger Casement at the current location of the Victorian Baths.

Roger Casement, who was sentenced to death in 1916 for his involvement in planning the Easter Rising, will be honoured with a statue as a part of an entire reconstruction of the historic Victorian Baths in Dun Laoghaire

The statue will be a part of a whole rebuild of the derelict baths, which will include an art gallery, artist spaces and a café where the pools currently stand. The project is going to cost €2.75 million.

Independent councillor Victor Boyhan, who proposed a motion said, “Like so many Ulster Protestants the Casement family came, settled and contributed to the life of Kingstown, now Dún Laoghaire. It is befitting that the town should honour this great Irishman.”

People Before Profit councillor Hugh Lewis added,  “Dún Laoghaire isn’t known for its links to 1916. Historically, it’s often been considered to have stronger imperialist sympathies than other parts of the country. This statue will show that people like Roger Casement are a deep-rooted part of our history.”

Casement is widely considered to have been a closeted gay man during his life, after the British government circulated excerpts said to be from private journals, known as the Black Diaries, which detailed relationships with young men.