The uncrowned king of Ireland

DANIEL O’Connell and Charles Stewart Parnell, both of whom had strong historical connections with this county, were the two great figures of 19th century Ireland. Parnell’s public career went from one extreme to another. Known as the Uncrowned King of Ireland, he managed to combine the three great strands of Irish life, those in favour of physical force, constitutional nationalists and those agitating for land reform. Unfortunately, within a few short years, he gave rise to one of the great splits of Irish history when the mere mention of the name Parnell would cause trouble.
Parnell’s father’s family were large landowners, very much part of the establishment and related to one of Ireland’s leading aristocrats, Lord Powerscourt. His mother was American and her father, Commodore Charles Stewart, had been decorated for bravery during the 1812 war between America and England. As a young man, Parnell was educated at Cambridge and then returned to become High Sheriff for Wicklow. Shortly afterwards, he was elected MP for Meath and in the Commons, he supported the Home Rule party.
He joined with Biggar in a policy of obstructing daily business with long speeches, a policy which gained him widespread support. Eventually, he replaced Isaac Butt as leader and managed to unite the party behind him. The Irish group were the first properly organised political party and were under orders to vote as a group. They held the balance of power and used this to press for their aim of Home Rule. The first Home Rule Bill was introduced in 1886 but was defeated.
When Michael Davitt founded the Land League, Parnell was made president. At a speech in Ennis, he proposed “Boycott” as a tactic in the land war and himself and other leaders were sent to Kilmainham Jail, from where he organised a rent strike. He negotiated an agreement with Prime Minister Gladstone, known as the Kilmainham Treaty, which called for his supporters to avoid violence. Shortly after this, two British officials were murdered in the Phoenix Park and attempts were made to implicate Parnell. The Times published a series of articles on Parnellism and crime in which he was accused of being involved in the murders and published letters supposedly signed by Parnell. These were proven to be forgeries by a man named Piggott and Parnell returned to the Commons in triumph.  It was the high point of his political career.
Captain William O’Shea, an Irish MP sued for divorce on the grounds of his wife’s adultery with Parnell. The charges were true and Parnell and Catherine (Kitty) had three children together. The scandal proved too much for the parliamentary party and it and the country split bitterly.
In 1892, the parish priest in Roundwood in Wicklow is reported to have told his congregation that support for Parnell was not patriotism but simply a love of adultery and warned those who had wives and daughters to beware of even letting Parnellites into their houses. Parnell was replaced as leader, it ended his political career. The battle for political survival proved too much for him and he died shortly afterwards at the young age of 45.
Charles Stewart Parnell, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party and the Uncrowned King of Ireland, was born on June 27, 1846, 165 years ago this week.
Michael Torpey